Adjusting to new lives
by Renshu Li
Summary: Frisk and the monsters learn to live on the surface. They develop their relationships and explore the new ways of living open to them, while trying to reconcile their expectations and deal with the emotional baggage they brought with them, as well as exploring the psychological fallout of what happened. Heavy focus on (agender) Frisk after a True Pacifist ending.
1. That Night

It was safe to say it was a party beyond the experiences of any present. Frisk had pointed out that things would take time with setting up communications with the humans, and had opined that the best thing to do would be to start by settling on Mt. Ebott, where there was little chance of them being disturbed. And neither of those could really be started with the sun setting.  
They had managed to pull the group back together (except for Sans, who had done his usual disappearing act) and they had gathered firewood. Asgore was... somewhat left out, as they naturally split into groups; Undyne and Alphys were joined by Papyrus, and Toriel seemed determined to stay by Frisk's side. The human felt bad for the king, though, and snuck off to help him- climbing onto his shoulders to reach higher branches, despite Toriel's glares once she realised where they had gone. They returned to her soon enough, content that they'd made the king feel a little less left out- and a little more forgiven.

Now, magical fires dotted the slopes immediately outside the new exit, lending gentle warmth and light to the night. The monsters were chattering, excited; gazing at the stars and the wisps of cloud, a collective cry of amazement punctuating the event of a shooting star crossing the sky. Sans had reappeared with food- to everyone's joy (and Papyrus' chastisement that he should have been helping them outside). Vilkun was in it's element, wandering around ensuring everyone was warm. Everyone seemed happy.

Frisk didn't understand it.  
They should be happy too, shouldn't they? They'd fought through the Underground for this. They'd been battered by magic and stalked by monsters, they'd _died_ , and they'd prevailed, against all the odds against them. They had a family, people who loved them. Why? Why weren't they happy?  
They leaned against a tree, peering out and watching the celebrations. The moon was just visible now, peering out from a distant mountain, and it had captured the attention of most of the monsters.

Most, but not all, they realised as they pulled back behind the tree and bumped into someone. Startled, they whirled around, almost falling over. A hard, bony hand caught their arm.  
"Steady there, kiddo." Frisk looked into Sans' grinning, white face. His eyes, small glowing centres deep in their black sockets, were clearly visible in the low light. He looked just as he ever did. Frisk frowned.  
"Are you okay?" The skeleton blinked, clearly taken aback. It was pretty obvious that he should have been asking Frisk that question.  
"Sure, everyone's having a good time and all I have to do is sit back and soak it in. But you're not okay." It wasn't a question.

"I- no." Frisk sat down at the foot of the tree and Sans joined them. "I'm wondering when... all of this is going to be taken away."  
There was a pause. "Yeah. I know how that feels." Frisk glanced over at him; his eyes were staring off, not seeming to be concentrated on anything. They felt their chest compress. What could they say? Toriel, Papyrus, even Asgore... They all seemed to deeply care. They wanted to stay. They wanted Frisk to stay. And if they told them all how they felt... They'd hug them, and reassure them. And although they still felt like it was all going to go away, just knowing the others didn't believe that helped.

But Sans...

"I'm scared of you leaving, of you abandoning me," Frisk said, before the words could be squashed down and silenced. They closed their eyes immediately after they said it, wishing they hadn't. Stupid. The pause that followed hurt.  
"Why?"  
Frisk cracked open their eyes and glanced at Sans. His usual grin looked... A little less wide. Were they imagining it? They shook their head and pulled their knees up to their chest, hugging them.  
"Come on, buddy. Why?"  
"Because." Frisk sighed. They'd started- why not say what they'd just been thinking? "Because the others, I feel like... Like they don't believe it's going to be taken away. And that makes me feel like... maybe they'll stop it from going away. At least for a little bit. But... I don't feel like that with you. And I don't want to lose you. You're my friend."  
There was another long silence, and Frisk let their head fall onto their knees. There was excited chatter behind them, but Frisk felt so far removed from it. Like they had done with everything else before falling down into the mountain. Families and friends, security and stability- it wasn't for them, and neither was this celebration. They fought back tears.

"You think I don't believe all this is going to last? Heh. You do seem to know what's going on, don't you?" Frisk glanced over at him- the lights in his eyes had disappeared, making his grin more sinister. They shivered despite themself.  
"The question is, buddy- just how much do you know? Ah- not enough to know what I'm talking about, by your face. Forget it." The light returned to Sans' eyes and he turned his smile on Frisk. "I don't want to abandon you, kid. Will that do?"

Frisk frowned. "Sans?"  
"Frisk?"  
"You're not okay either. Are you?"

There was a pause. For a moment, Frisk was worried they'd gone too far. Then they felt Sans' body hand on their shoulder, pulling them into his chest. They sunk into it, feeling his chest bones on their cheek, through the hoodie that smelled of dirt and smoke. Sans' arms, wrapped around their back. His skull resting on their head. They wrapped their own arms around him, trying to hold on to the moment- a moment of shared vulnerability, a moment where Sans was truly here, with them, not trying to be distant, not pretending to be fine, even if it was just for a few moments. Right now felt real.

Frisk was far from tired of the hug when Sans loosened his grip. He let out a chuckle, although it wasn't like his usual laugh. "Yeah, you know more than you should, kid." Frisk tried to tighten their own grip; but Sans gently pulled them back, so he could see their face. His grin had twisted into something closer to a grimace. "Look, kid- you know I don't like promises. But- as long as I can, I'll be there for you. I promise you that."

Frisk let out a strangled sob and threw themself at Sans, wrapping their arms around his neck and hugging him. But- they shifted, their cheek against his, before pulling back. They raised a hand and touched his cheek. It was wet, and not from them.  
They suddenly remembered how Papyrus had apparently cried while they were unconscious. But- for Sans to cry- they looked from their wet fingertips to Sans' eyes, confused. He shook his head.  
"Ah, just come here, Frisk." He pulled them back into the hug, holding them as their own tears spilled out. "You're something else, aren't you? If only all humans were like you..."

"B-but." Frisk pulled back, "they... They aren't, Sans. And- and that's, I guess, one reason I'm... Scared. It's... not as nice, out there. Even with the freedom and the fresh air. It was nicer Underground." They wiped at their eyes. "I... think I know the difference between human and monster souls, now. Monster souls are... They're good, I think? They're compassion and love and goodness, and without that there's no soul at all. And h-human souls... I think they're just power. The rest just might not be there at all. And monsters... They think humans are like them. It makes them vulnerable."

"Yeah, we lucked out with you, didn't we, kid? I know they're not all like you." Sans looked up at the stars. "Don't know about your theory, that might be more the doc's territory, but you're not wrong about humans." Frisk gazed at him, but for a while he didn't continue. When he did, it was with a total subject change. "You're shivering."

"Oh... Y-yeah. I, uh, should've brought a change of clothes, I guess. Wasn't planning on this when I... fell." They attempted a wry smile.  
"Here." Sans took off his hoodie, exposing his bone arms, and wrapping it around Frisk. They weren't too much shorter than him but he was wider, and it hung off their scrawny body. His grin widened. They reminded him of Papyrus when he was small. They were _adorable_.  
"You look happy!" Frisk smiled themself at his reaction. "I mean... Really happy."  
"Yeah?"  
"Mm. I'm glad." Frisk leaned against him. "Now you have to stay, so I can keep seeing it. Okay?"  
Sans laughed; a genuine chuckle this time. "Sure, kid. Whatever you say."

* * *

Toriel had been starting to get genuinely worried; her concern had rubbed off onto Papyrus, despite him initially insisting that since both Frisk _and_ Sans were missing, his big brother would look after the little human. They were starting to get to the point of not caring if they disturbed the party looking for them when Sans appeared.  
Frisk was out cold, wrapped up on his hoodie and leaning into his chest. He was using magic to ease the burden of the human- who was, after all, nearly the same height as him. The blue glow of his eye caught Papyrus' attention first, whose relief was... Exuberant.

"Sans! There's the human! Are they okay? Where did you go?"  
"Papyrus- please, lower your voice. Frisk must be asleep, I assume?"  
"Sure is", Sans remarked. "Out like a light. Which- heh- is something they are _not_."  
"Are they dark then?" Papyrus asked.

"I believe Sans meant they are heavy," Toriel said, before Sans could answer. "I was starting to get very worried! Oh- let me take them."  
Sans shrugged, letting Toriel take the human from his arms. She cradled them and checked their hands and forehead.  
"Oh dear- they are cold! And so fast asleep... Everything must have been too much for them- perhaps I should go back in, and tuck them into bed..."  
"But the human will miss the party!" protested Papyrus.  
"I said that I would look after them," Toriel said firmly. "No, I will take them back to my house- the ferryperson won't mind taking us, I am sure."  
"Hey, Tori. Let me, I'll meet you there." Toriel stared at Sans in confusion.  
"You will-"  
"Yeah, I can get us there in a jiffy." Reluctantly Toriel handed Frisk over.  
"Well... Very well, but you will stay with them until I arrive, will you not?"  
"Sure. See you soon." He winked and turned to walk towards the entrance back to the Underground; he passed behind a tree and was gone.

* * *

 _So this is my first "proper" fanfiction- I've had ideas in my head for years and shared them, but this is the first time I've really sat down to write them out and put them online. I've never so much as dipped my foot into the fanfic community so I'm jumping on the deep end!  
As such I would love all comments, but especially constructive criticism. I'd like to improve- but I also want to hear if you read and enjoy!_

 _Either way, thanks for making it this far._

 _-Ren_


	2. Next Day

"We've finally got to the surface... And you're still slacking off!"  
"I really do believe that I should be the one to be there when Frisk awakes."  
"Heh. Yeah, I know. But after talking to them last night- well, I should be here. And you'd both be more useful than me with putting plans in motion."

* * *

Frisk awoke slowly. They'd slept long and soundly, and waking was like remembering their own body again and reconnecting with it. For a while they curled up, simply enjoying the warmth, the sweet smell, the quiet. But then confusion crept in with their memories. Where... were they? They hadn't slept in a bed in... ages.  
No, wait. That wasn't right. They sorted through it- falling, and sleeping at Toriel's house. Resting in Snowdin, on the brothers' sofa (despite Papyrus trying to convince them to take his bed.) Last night. Freedom. Nightmares. They opened their eyes.

The light was dim, but there was enough to see by. They were back in Toriel's house, in the bed they first slept in in the Underground. They might have thought they had dreamed everything that came after, but for the figure sat on the floor, leaning against the wall reading. Back in his familiar hoodie, he was a comforting reminder that yes- it all happened, and it hadn't reset. Frisk had friends, maybe even a family- at least for now. They had done a good thing, made things better- hopefully- for many. And he hadn't left.

"Sleep well, kiddo?" Sans had noticed they were awake and was peering at them over his book. They nodded and pulled the duvet tighter around them, not wanting to get up just yet. "Might not want to spend too long in there- you're lucky there's any pie left for you at all."  
"Mm." Frisk wiggled further into the cocoon they were turning the bed into. If they stayed here- if they didn't move- nothing had to change. They could stay safe, and warm, and wanted. Loved. Sans had been the first to say it- oh, not about himself, just that Frisk had "gained love". They didn't want to risk losing it again.  
"You all right, kid?" Frisk looked up at Sans as he sat on the bed, his eyes glowing softly in the low light. They had to get up, though, didn't they? To make things better. To make a difference. To move forwards. For all the monsters, and... And for themself.

Frisk screwed up their determination and sat up. The duvet fell off their shoulders and they rubbed their arms, then pulled a face and pulled at their sleeves. "Eurgh... I think I need new clothes. These are gross..."  
"Didn't want to say anything, kiddo. But it's all sorted. Tori uh... dug up some old clothes for you. Just try not to think about where they came from."  
"Oh. I- oh." Frisk winced. Old clothes were probably... Asriel's or Chara's. That was a creepy idea to contemplate. That, or one of the other humans who had fallen down- given that their bodies were all in the castle, that was even more unnerving. They slipped out of bed and padded bare-foot down the hall to the bathroom, following Sans' advice to _try_ not to think about it.

The clothes were in a neat pile on top of a chest of drawers. They picked them up and took a look- they mostly looked new and unworn. In fact, the t-shirt actually looked like it had just come out of a packet. Frisk looked in the bin and their thoughts were confirmed- this must have ended up with all the other human cast-offs at the dump, and who would wear it? Most monsters weren't human proportions; the only one they'd met who was close to their size had no arms. The socks also felt new- if a little too big- as did a pair of underwear.  
The trousers, however, were softened from wear, and- as Frisk held them up- a little too short. Still, they would have to do. They peeled their well-worn clothes off and jumped in the shower.

A thorough scrub did them some good. Dried, dressed, and their hair forced into some vague semblance of order with a wiry scrubbing brush, they glanced in the mirror. They looked okay.  
 _Good enough?_ they wondered. Hopefully. The monsters hadn't judged them for wandering around in steadily filthier clothes, after all. _It's fine,_ they told themself.

Upon leaving the bathroom, something caught their eye. Frowning, Frisk made their way towards the door leading into the ruins. They couldn't go out- their boots were in the bedroom- but they could look...  
Hovering timidly near the doorway was... Frisk remembered them, a shy and timid little monster who had burst into tears and run away when they had tried to console it, when they were new to the Underground. They smiled gently at it.

"Hey- feeling better?" The tiny monster squeaked and flew around the doorway. Frisk stuck their head around, to see it. "You alright?"  
"S-sorry. I- sorry."  
"What's wrong? You know the barrier is up, right? Do you need help getting to the surface?"  
"N-no... I... Th-thank you... F-for everyone..."  
"I'm glad it all turned out okay. Um... Do you like pie?"  
Frisk's words caused it to burst into tears and- once again- run away. They blinked, bemused, before returning to the bedroom, where Sans was still sat on the bed, reading again.

"Better?"  
"Yes. Thank you."  
"No worries, kid. Who were you talking to?"  
"Um... A monster? A little one." They held their hands several inches apart. "Flies. Cries a lot. I saw, um, it, in the ruins before... and another one like it in the Core, although that one had armour and was less tearful and more... murderous?"  
Sans shrugged. "Seems you get that a lot. Come on- let's get some of that pie."

Sans waved Frisk to the table in the living room. They sat down; the coals in the fire were still glowing slightly. It felt strange to be back here. They could have stayed. They could have never left, and saved themself so much pain.  
 _No_ , they thought. They couldn't have, they would have been bored, sad and lonely. They would have come to resent Toriel. This... This was better, wasn't it? Despite the new nightmares.

A small sound prompted them to turn around. The tiny monster was in the doorway, fluttering timidly.  
"Oh!" Frisk smiled. "Did you want some pie?" There was a pause, before it fluttered over to the table, sitting on it.  
"Th-thank you..."  
"So, uh... Do you have a name?"  
"W- I'm Whimsun...

Sans had obviously heard enough to glance in and see what was going on, as he came in with a plate each for himself and Frisk- and a tea saucer with a tiny bit on for their guest. The tiny monster squeaked at his piercing gaze and looked away, but didn't flee. It waited to start eating until after Sans and Frisk did.

Cinnamon-butterscotch pie, with plenty of cinnamon. Of course. Frisk smiled slightly.  
"You're lucky there's any left," Sans said. Frisk glanced over. "It's good pie."  
"'Goodpie'? You're leaving?" Frisk quipped. Sans snorted.  
"Good one, kid. Too bad Papyrus isn't here."  
"Y-yeah, I think I'm all punned out. It's... not what I'm best at."  
"It's okay, kid, that was still a good slice of humour."  
Frisk groaned and used a mouthful of pie to try to hide their smile. It didn't work, and Sans chuckled, before turning his attention to his own pie.

It wasn't long before they were all done. The little monster was brave enough to land on Frisk's shoulder and hug their head before fluttering off, and Sans- Sans did something Frisk had never seen. He stacked their plates and levitated them, his left eye glowing. With a wave of his hand, they flew into the kitchen. Frisk stared open-mouthed.

"What?"  
"I didn't know you could do that!"  
Sans' grin widened slightly. "Yup. We ready to go?"  
"Oh. Yes." Frisk took a look around the room, remembering the smell of pie, the way things were now. "I just need to put my boots on, and then... Then I'm ready."

* * *

Work had already started on the surface, with monsters mining stone from under the surface and transferring it to the castle. Alphys was in her lab, working on ways to help make the structures sound and easier to build- but with every monster pitching in, the work went by quickly, even if it was sometimes a little... chaotic.  
Frisk wasn't strong enough to be much help physically, nor did they have helpful ideas on how to build; but their friends made a point of keeping them involved, asking their opinion. They helped Asgore write a letter to the mayor of the nearest town- and volunteered Sans for delivering it, at night, with his hood up. Undyne was shifting more rock than anyone else- even if it didn't always end up neatly arranged- and Papyrus wanted to help with everything and everyone, at once.

And over it all, Toriel was helping make everything come together; solving disputes and helping the monsters stay focused on the task. As the sun started to set, it was already a very different scene to the party of the night before- the atmosphere was still happy, but now it was honed; wooden structures were clearly being build in the trees by some monsters, guided by webbing, and markings of string and stone markers were spreading out from the exit from the Underground, painting a picture of their plans.

Everyone felt... Well.

Everyone felt full of determination.


	3. Meeting The Mayor

The following days were tough- although moods remained, for the most part, high. Frisk took their job seriously, although they were aware that the other humans almost certainly wouldn't; so they tried to keep their work to being behind the scenes as much as possible. The first major hurdle came when, through combined efforts, a meeting with the mayor of the closest town was granted. Who was going was... A bit of a problem.

Asgore posed an intimidating figure- but he _was_ the king, and it would raise more problems than it would solve if he didn't go. Frisk figured that meant Toriel shouldn't- although she was less of an imposing figure than Asgore, and seemed to be more on the ball, the pair of them together would unnerve the humans meeting monsters for the first time enough to worry Frisk. That was leaving aside Toriel's anger towards Asgore, which wouldn't really help sell them as a peaceful race.  
Papyrus was adamant that he should go; Frisk was convinced that he shouldn't, but the difficulty was in convincing _him_ of that. They eventually managed to placate him by saying that the humans would be very worried about meeting monsters for the first time, and that they'd be completely overwhelmed by meeting someone as _cool_ as him. He seemed to accept that- begrudgingly.  
Undyne, likewise, wanted to go- but as hotheaded as she was, Frisk didn't think that was a good idea, either. She, however, wanted to "defend" them- a compromise was reached, that she would only go as far as she could while staying out of sight, and would keep Papyrus' phone with her. She was even less happy with missing the meeting than Papyrus was- but she went along with it, to Frisk's relief.

Mettaton was easy to persuade, simply by pointing out the truth- this was about diplomacy, not showmanship. When Frisk asked him to keep Papyrus company, to stop the skeleton feeling left out, he seemed thrilled to "give back to his fans", so that decided that.

That left Frisk with a bit of a conundrum. Working out who _shouldn't_ go was easier than working out who _should_. They had a visible leader in Asgore, but he wasn't an approachable figure due to his size nor did he seem, Frisk thought, particularly savvy or able (or even willing) to manipulate a situation when it needed. This being the first meeting, they needed to put their best foot forwards.

Alphys had been... Conspicuously absent when the discussions of the meeting started. She'd been doing great work with planning, especially working to figure out how to use their phones above ground and connect to human internet- although it was unlikely that _that_ was entirely altruistic. She certainly had no interest in going to the meeting, but she was small and unintimidating, approachable, and a talented scientist. Frisk told her how she represented many things that would help the humans accept the monsters as being worthy of living alongside and was the face of their technological capability. Through careful flattery, gentle encouragement, and reassurances that she probably wouldn't have to speak much unless it was about science, she was finally won over- even going so far as to scrub her best labcoat.

Frisk still wasn't happy about it, though. They knew they personally wouldn't have any pull with adults in positions of authority. They needed someone smart; someone who wouldn't bluster and throw their weight around, but would see and step in if something seemed wrong.  
They needed Sans. Frisk didn't like it. Taking a skeleton along to meet humans- especially one who they had never seen dress in anything other than a hoodie and long shorts- didn't seem like a great first impression, but nobody else fit the bill. Beyond his usual sarcasm and occasional joke he hadn't given any input at all to the plans, but Frisk wondered afterwards if he'd expected this outcome. He certainly didn't seem surprised when Frisk brought it up, and even interrupted them explaining why to ask if they were sure. He seemed satisfied when they said they were.

Toriel took it on herself to help by trying to find Frisk better clothes to wear- and even had a quiet word with Sans about his clothes when Frisk mentioned their concerns (something neither of them ever mentioned to the human). What they had was limited, but Mettaton helped her out with alterations and sewing. By the end of it, they had a plain long-sleeved shirt and better trousers- and, on the day, Sans showed up with an almost-smart jacket and trousers as well. He considered himself well-rewarded for the effort when Frisk's worried face turned into a grin.

They were picked up outside of the town by a large, unmarked car. The driver, a woman in a black suit, seemed genuinely surprised- and very uncomfortable- that the letters had been telling the truth about monsters. Sans nudged Frisk and nodded to her hip- although her jacket was long enough to conceal it, she appeared armed. It was likely the man sitting next to her was too.

The back section was separated by a dark, bulletproof screen. They climbed in- the back was spacious, with a row of seats facing both forwards and backwards. The king was slumped, seated facing the back of the car, his head down to stop his horns from scraping the ceiling, although that didn't stop him from trying to look out the window as best he could, muttering about how fascinating it all was or trying to get them all to look at something that had already passed the window. Frisk whispered to Alphys that they'd been through much tougher than this together- which seemed to help her remember how to breathe properly- and Sans was much, much more interested in the humans nearby. Every time Frisk looked at him, they were glad they had brought him. His calm and composure helped their own worries subside, especially when he turned his grin on them.

They were meeting in an office building near the edge of town that had been emptied out for the day. The journey wracked Frisk's nerves, but it wasn't too long before more suited men opened the car door to let them out. Alphys nearly fell onto Frisk as she hopped to the pavement, and Asgore almost had to crawl out. The driver led them into the building, where they were joined by another pair, a man and a woman. Once these two joined the group, Frisk noticed Sans staying very close to them- close enough that his elbow was touching their arm, and they tried to take comfort from it, rather than worry about being surrounded. They were all led up stairs, along corridors, and into a room with a large desk at the end. An older woman wearing a heavy chain and an expensive-looking suit was behind it, flanked by two more bodyguards. She had to be the mayor. To her credit, Frisk thought, she managed to squash her display of surprise fairly quickly.

"Ah," she said. "I admit, I was expecting this all to be an elaborate prank, even after the coin I was sent. I am Mayor Eastaugh. I assume you are King Asgore...?" His outfit clearly gave him away, but Frisk thought that she probably would have turned to him regardless, due to his size and bearing. He beamed and nodded.  
"Yes, I am indeed, and this is our ambassador, Frisk. They're the one who helped me write to you."  
Her eyes narrowed as she levelled her gaze on Frisk. "A child?"  
"F-Frisk is th-the only reason we're free!" Alphys burst out, causing all four of them to look at her in surprise. "Th-they know m-more about monsters than- than any other human!"  
Asgore cleared his throat, pulling himself to his full height. "Hem. Indeed- I may be king, but Frisk is indeed the best one to help us integrate into human society. This is- er, was- the Royal Scientist, Alphys, and this is... Sans."  
"A... A skeleton?" The mayor looked a little unnerved.  
"Yup. Sans the skeleton." He put out his hand and Frisk winced and squeaked- but as the Mayor reluctantly shook his hand, there was no noise. He'd decided to forego the pranks. He placed his hand on Frisk's shoulder to reassure them as the Mayor then shook their hand; then Alphys', and finally Asgore's.  
"Well. Well, then. This is, you must understand, all very... Well, it's not something one has any experience to help with, you see." It appeared Sans had managed to throw her thoroughly off guard.  
"Yes, I understand," Asgore said. "The war was, after all, so very long ago- it was your ancestors, not you. We know that and come with only peaceful intentions."  
"Oh, well- I mean, the war- that you speak of- we don't exactly see it as history. It's legend, it's... I mean, before I got the letters, I had no idea that monsters _actually_ resided under Mt. Ebott." She shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, ah- can I get you anything to drink? Tea, coffee?"  
Frisk glanced at Asgore. "Ah, yes," he said. "That reminds me." He reached inside his cloak- the bodyguards all shifted position in reaction- and pulled out a wooden box. "As a gift, I brought our own special tea. And, if it's quite all right, I would like some of that."  
"Oh, um... It's not in tea bags," Frisk said, causing the mayor to look at them as though they had forgotten they were present. "It's just leaves, but if you don't have a tea strainer you can just put, um... about half a teaspoon in the cup. I'd like some too, please."  
"I- very well, thank you." Eastaugh hesitantly took the box from Asgore and handed it to the nearest bodyguard. "Get each of them a cup of... this, and I'll just have coffee."  
"Oh, didn't you want to try it?" Asgore asked. Frisk winced. They knew the gesture was symbolic, but the king apparently didn't grasp human paranoia. "It's really very good."  
"I- oh, um. Well. Okay, yes, one for me as well, then," Eastaugh stammered. Frisk heard Sans snigger to himself and elbowed him. He elbowed them back. The Mayor, thankfully, was walking back to sit behind the desk and didn't notice.

That set the tone for the rest of the meeting. Every time the mayor tried to get the upper hand in the conversation, either Asgore's innocent questions or Sans' sly comments left her confused, flustered, or embarrassed. Alphys barely spoke- except for one rather long ramble about the monsters' technology and research, which left the mayor utterly stunned. This was brought to a head when she mentioned that there was a lot of red tape to get through before she could allow them to settle on the slopes of Mt. Ebott. Between Asgore's genuine confusion as to why- especially when they were already there- and Sans' pointed queries about the mountain's reputation and the importance of the first meeting, the mayor ended up so flustered she told them they could "have" the mountain. They even managed to get her to try her tea, despite her clear concerns about what it actually _was_ \- at which point Frisk wondered if Sans was just seeing how much he could push her. When they left, Frisk was trying to hide their relief and Asgore didn't hide his happiness, commenting on how "that went exceedingly well, did it not?"

* * *

The news that the humans knew and accepted that they were building their own home on the mountain bolstered the confidence of the monsters when they returned; and amidst the gleeful planning, Frisk found Sans standing with Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys. The scientist was talking about the meeting; Papyrus and Undyne seemed content with not being there now that it seemed to have been a lot of diplomatic boring talking, and Sans was just... Watching. Frisk pulled his sleeve to get his attention.  
"Hey, bucko. What's up?"  
"I, um. Thank you. That was why I wanted you there."  
"Oh? Why's that?"  
"You know why!" Frisk frowned at Sans' amused expression.  
"Maybe I don't, buddy. Maybe I need you to tell me."  
Frisk sighed. "You managed to throw her off guard. You read the situation, and you... made things... _better_ for us."  
"'Us', huh? You a monster too now, Frisk?" The question stunned the human, and they stared at him, wide-eyed, before dropping their gaze, red-faced and stammering.  
"I- I- n-no, I... I guess I'm-"  
"Hey, kid." Sans turned properly away from Papyrus, Alphys and Undyne, still talking together about the meeting, using his own body to hide their conversation. Frisk stayed quiet, blinking back tears, before a bony hand lifted their chin. His face was still in it's perpetual grin but the corners seemed a little less... upturned. "I didn't mean it like that." His voice was quiet and serious. "You're no monster, but you're one of us. You should know that by now, kiddo. You belong with us."

 _You belong with us._ Frisk blinked hard, trying to fight back the tears that were making their vision swim. "R-really?"  
"Really. If you haven't figured that out by now I don't know how else to tell you it, kid."

The tears spilled down Frisk's cheeks; they tried to wipe them away on their sleeves but they flooded out, too fast for their attempts to do anything. _You belong with us._ They gave Sans a crooked, shaky smile through their tears.  
"Th-thank you."  
"Nah, seems like we should be thanking you." He looked around at the bustling activity. "For a lot."

He was taken by surprise when Frisk hugged him. The child's shoulders shook and Sans wrapped his arms around them, letting them just... get it all out. It was a couple of minutes before their tears slowed enough for them to speak.  
"Nobody ever... told me I belong. I've... I've never had a place. I... So just _let me thank you_ , okay, Sans, I wouldn't have made it this far without you. You were always there, just... Turning up to watch over me."  
"Heh. You noticed, huh?"  
"It made me... believe I could do it."  
"Huh. Maybe that was all we needed." Frisk nodded against his chest, before pulling back, wiping their eyes.

"I, uh, got you wet."  
"Nah, don't worry about it kiddo." Sans squeezed Frisk's shoulder. "And... Thanks."  
"What!" Papyrus suddenly appeared, peering over Sans' head. "Why are you crying Frisk? You should not be crying? I, am here!"  
Frisk giggled, wiping the rest of their tears away. "Yeah... I know. I'm only crying because... I'm happy."  
"You are so happy I am here that you're crying?"  
"Well- well, yeah. Thank you for being my friend, Papyrus."

Undyne and Alphys appeared at Papyrus' side. "Hey, punk, we're your friends too! Where's our thanks?!"  
"See, kid?" Sans said quietly. Frisk beamed.

 _You belong with us._


	4. Bed-Time

When Toriel realised that Frisk hadn't had much in the way of formal education, she was- to put it mildly- put out, although very able to see the silver lining of taking charge of their education herself. At first Frisk had been okay with the idea... At first. But neither of them had really understood what it would include.  
Frisk, of course, didn't understand that it involved sitting still for a long time, making a point of trying to absorb and retain information; and Toriel, while she knew she had to try to make it as interesting to Frisk as possible, didn't know them well enough to realise just how inclined to do their own thing they were.  
In hindsight, she thought, she probably should have expected it. She'd never pushed the subject of the child's past, but it was clear they were alone in the world. They'd been used to living their way, without anyone to care what they did or where they went.

A breakthrough had happened when she'd been teaching Frisk about some human history she'd been reading about. She thought Frisk hadn't been paying attention, doodling instead- but that evening they'd called Undyne over and told her dramatic stories about what they'd learned- complete with drawings that, although rushed in the space of the afternoon, showed a lot of promise. Undyne enjoyed Frisk's "lesson", and it gave Toriel a lot of ideas.  
She started to appeal to their apparent desire to doodle and draw and make up stories, and managed to make some headway; as well as pointing out that, if they learned maths and science, they could talk about it with Alphys. That helped a little- less than she would have liked, but it was a start. Art theory- which Mettaton decided he was perfect to help with, regardless of his own lack of education on the subject- was the only other subject sure to get them focused, and she decided to look into getting them some decent art supplies.

The other problem was that Frisk was... Well, they weren't ever _naughty_ , exactly. They didn't make a point of breaking rules- although Toriel was starting to wonder if a certain inability to fully follow rules was just a thing human children did, despite her attempts to avoid any comparison. No, Frisk was just... It seemed like they almost 'forgot' they were supposed to do things, or just decide to wander off without telling her. Of course, given how eager they were to wander off in the ruins when she had just met them, that shouldn't be a surprise...  
At least they tended to go to one of their friends, and _they_ were good at letting her know. Still, it was exasperating, and she didn't know how to get through to Frisk without pushing them away. Her attempts so far had met with Frisk appearing penitent, but not really changing their ways.

Case in point- they were supposed to be getting ready for bed. They had, at least, done their homework, but of the child themself, there was no sign. She sighed and shook her head. At least every monster knew who Frisk was and would look out for them...

* * *

"...And when the fluffy bunny got home, everyone was happy to see him. The end." Sans closed the book and looked up. Papyrus was out cold. He put the book back on the shelf and left the room, taking one last look at Papyrus before he switched the light out and shut the door.  
He whipped his head around at a creak on the stairs. A figure wrapped in a blanket was frozen in place half-way down the stairs. Slowly, they turned to look at him. Frisk's face was red, and they clearly didn't expect to be caught.

"Um. Hi."  
Sans spoke quietly, heading down the stairs to join Frisk. "Hey, kiddo, what're you doin' here?"  
"Oh. Nothing. I'll just... be going."  
"Nothing." Sans took his hands from his pockets for the sole purpose of crossing them. Standing on a step above Frisk, looking down at them with arms folded, he somewhat reminded them of Toriel when she was disappointed in them. They squirmed, not meeting his gaze.

"I just, um. I was listening to you reading to Papyrus?"  
"Were you." Sans' eyes creased with amusement, but he didn't give Frisk a way to escape the conversation. They twisted the blanket between their hands anxiously.  
"W-well, nobody ever read to me, so- I mean... L-look, I'll just, I'll go. I can just get out of your way."  
"Nah, that's fine Frisk, but why don't you ask Toriel to read to you? I'm sure she'd be eager to." His grin widened. "Over eager, maybe."  
"N-no, I don't... want to ask. It's fine."  
"So you want someone to read to you without asking? Alright kid, I get the hint- let me get a book."  
"N-no! I-" Sans ignored Frisk's protests and they clamped their hands over their mouth as he went back into Papyrus' room. They felt so foolish and different scenarios flashed through their minds- leaving now, or making an excuse, or...

Or just letting him read to them. Sure, they were too old for it really, but Sans still read to Papyrus, didn't he? And he was the one to suggest it, even as they said otherwise. Maybe he _wanted_ to. Maybe they should go along with it.  
They nodded and headed back up the stairs as Sans came back out. He nodded, book in hand, clearly not wanting to speak so close to Papyrus' door. That left him in a bit of a bind when Frisk, instead of going downstairs to sit on the sofa, went to his bedroom door. They put their hand on his doorknob and looked at him, head tilted to one side quizzically.

He narrowed his eyes. Frisk widened theirs and pointed to his door. He sighed and headed over to them- which they took as permission, and opened the door. He rolled his eyes, wishing he'd locked it. Oh well.  
Frisk ran over to his mattress and sat on it, still wrapped in their blanket, and kicked off their shoes.  
"Kid- what are you doing?"  
"I thought you wanted to read me a bedtime story?" They crawled onto his bed- his covers were a mess, but they curled up next to the wall and arranged the blanket around themself.  
"Didn't realise you were gonna steal my bed for it."  
"Well it wouldn't be a bedtime story without a bed, would it?" Frisk looked at him over the top of their blanket, all innocence and wide eyes. Sans sighed. The kid was even harder to say no to than Papyrus.  
"Alright, I can sleep downstairs tonight."  
"What? No!" Frisk sat up, the blanket falling off and pooling in their lap. "That's not fair on you."  
Sans stared at the kid. He stared at the bed. He realised what they had expected and groaned, letting his head fall into his hand.  
"You wanted to spend the night in my bed. With me."  
"What's wrong with that?"

This time, it definitely wasn't fake innocence. Frisk was just a kid who wanted to spend the night with their friend. It wouldn't be long before they started to think differently, but- Sans realised- they hadn't had much of a childhood, if his guess was correct, and his guesses usually were. Frisk was, for the most part, mature beyond their years; perhaps forced to grow up too fast? And they didn't have any family, in fact given how much trouble they were having adjusting to having people there at all, he suspected they'd never had much stability. Of course they wanted to cling to their friends while they could. He raised his head, nodding, giving Frisk a grin.  
"Let me go and change, kid."

When he returned, in a battered t-shirt, pyjama shorts and fluffy slippers, Frisk had straightened out his covers- somewhat- and had placed their jacket, neatly folded, on the cardboard box that was the closest he had to furniture here. They were lying back against the wall, using the blanket as a pillow, and gave him a tired smile.

"Alright, kid. Here you go." He climbed into the bed next to Frisk, who peered at the book in his hand.  
"'The Sleepy Kitten'? I, uh... I think I'm probably not the target audience for that."  
"Really? 'Cause I think it's purr-fect for you."  
Frisk groaned. "It's nothing pawsonal..."  
"You sure? 'Claws it sort of sounds like it is..."  
"No no, you've convinced me. You're pretty purrsuasive."  
"Alright, after this at least take a cat-nap."  
"I can't keep up, Sans. My attempts at puns are... _Catastrophic_."

Sans actually laughed at that one. He ruffled Frisk's hair. "Okay, kid. I can't top that. No more kitten around, you wanted a bedtime story- this is what we've got."  
"Okay, okay." They pulled the covers around their face, peeking over them at him. His grin widened slightly and he settled in and opened the book.  
"There was once a little kitten..."

* * *

The book didn't have the same effect on Frisk as they tended to on Papyrus. They kept their eyes fixed on his face as he read, and once Sans was done, they looked perhaps less sleepy than they did before he started. He tossed the book to one side.  
"Better, kid?"  
"Y-yeah. Thanks." Frisk fidgeted, hugging their knees to their chest, before wiggling over to lay their head on Sans' shoulder. They managed to stay still for a few seconds before grumbling and fidgeting some more.  
"What?"  
"I can't use you as a pillow," they whined. "You're too hard!"  
"Yep, that'll happen when you lie on a skeleton, kid."  
Frisk grumbled and lay on their back. Sans raised himself on one elbow to look at them, then shifted around.  
"Welp, guess if you can't use me as a pillow..."  
"Gah! Sans, no!" Frisk started giggling as he rested his head on their belly. "Noo, come on... You, you numbskull!" They grabbed his pillow and plopped it on his face to hide his smirk. "I'm not a pillowww... I couldn't sleep like this even if I was bone tired!"  
"Heh." Sans took the pillow off his face and peered up at Frisk. "You're getting better at this, kid." There was a pause, then he sat up and gave Frisk a hard stare. "Say, does Tori know you're here?"  
"Oh, well... Probably? I mean... Where else would I go..."

Sans let out a sigh and got out of bed. "I'll go call her."  
Frisk managed to hide their expression until he was out of the room. They'd been so focused on enjoying being with their friend, with the attention, that they forgot all about the fact that they had a place they were supposed to be. They kept doing that- it was so easy to forget. They felt a pang of guilt. What if Toriel told them not to come back, one day? What if everyone did? They fidgeted, feeling worse and worse, until Sans came back.

"Is she okay?" were the first words out of their mouth as soon as Sans came back.  
"Yeah, but-"  
"Is she mad at me?"  
"She-"  
"Oh, is- is she going to kick me out?"  
"Kid, shut up." Frisk did so and Sans sat on the bed, looking at them. The light in his eyes was dim, barely visible- a sure sign of how serious he viewed this. "She's fine. I don't think she's ever going to kick you out. But you oughta let her know where you're going."  
Frisk hung their head. "I know, I- I know. I just... I forget, I-"  
"You're not used to having to answer to anyone?" Frisk nodded and looked up at him through their hair. "Yeah, I get that, buddo. Just... Try, okay?" Frisk nodded again.  
"I- yeah. I will. I mean, I have been. I just..."  
"You don't have to explain it to me, but maybe you should explain it to her. Man... Sometimes we'd talk through that door between jokes, about family, and she would sometimes tell me to sleep more, or eat better, or tell me to make sure I have warm clothes... But you, you're her kid now, Frisk. She's gonna worry anyway, but you don't have to make it harder for her."

Frisk nodded and lay back, staring up. Thoughts swirled around in their head, but... They'd burdened Sans enough for one night. They wanted to try and remember the good in this night, not weigh it down with more of their so-called problems.  
He seemed to guess, though, as he turned the light off and got into bed. "Hey, Frisk?" They looked over. "She's not goin' anywhere. Neither am I."  
There was a pause. Sans could just see Frisk's smile in the low light.  
"Thanks."

* * *

Sharing his bed with the kid wasn't too bad- especially compared to sharing it with Papyrus. But Frisk did wake him up once. The whimpers, begging and cries in his own dreams chased him out of them, following him to wakefulness. He shook away the remnants, a combination of things that had happened in another time and things his mind dredged up; but the noise continued and he remembered Frisk.  
He rolled over. The child was curled up, one hand balled into a fist clutching their hair; and although no words were discernible, the fear behind them was. He stroked their hair, trying to soothe them; trying to gently untangle their hand. Slowly the whimpering slowed, then stopped; their fist uncurled. They shifted and he looked down at their face- one eye cracked open, full of sleepiness, and that hand took his and pulled it to their chest before they settled back in. Deep breathing told Sans that they fell back asleep instantly; but he stayed awake for a while after he managed to get comfortable, feeling the heat from their small hands and watching them. He wasn't sure when he drifted back to sleep himself, but Frisk didn't seem to have any more nightmares while he watched- and once he finally got back to sleep, neither did he.


	5. Cooking Breakfast

Sans awakened in the morning to the smell of cooking, a faint hum of voices from downstairs, and an otherwise empty bed. He yawned and stretched. Frisk's shoes and jacket were both gone; from here he couldn't tell if they were downstairs with Papyrus, or if someone else was- or if his brother was watching TV, getting over-excited about anything with Mettaton in it. He glanced around. His hoodie wasn't where he'd dropped it either. He put his slippers on and opened the door. The voices answered his question- Frisk was with Papyrus. Cooking?

"I know, but-" Frisk was saying. There was a sound of things clattering. "Look, just- the more you know, the more you can make it unique and special to you, right? M-maybe knowing how I do it will help with that!"  
"Oh! That is true. Hmm, yes. But I'm going to chop- _with passion_! That is what cooking is about!"  
"Oh, of course." Sans could hear the amusement in Frisk's voice. "But passion isn't always about a flame that burns Undyne's house down. Sometimes it can be a... A small, focused flame. That doesn't burn any houses down at all but makes really good food."  
There was a pause. "It's... It's an analogy! I'm tired."  
"Well! Then I should take over and let my good friend rest!"  
"But I said I was going to cook for everyone! You're already helping. That's enough."

Sans looked around the kitchen door to see Frisk, wearing his hoodie, teaching Papyrus how to... chop vegetables. They were in front of him, guiding his bony hands while he watched, his chin resting on their head. His grin widened and he watched the pair of them slowly slicing a tomato to join a previously chopped pile, Frisk letting Papyrus do more and more by himself until they took their hands off his entirely.  
"Hmm... I am not convinced, human. The pieces are still all wonky!"  
"You're doing great, Papyrus! It'll get better as you practice but you're already doing really well at it," Frisk encouraged him. Seeing the way the kid managed to work with Papyrus made Sans happy.

"Okay, that's enough tomato I think. We should- oh!" Frisk finally noticed Sans leaning against the door frame, watching them, and jumped. "I- We didn't wake you up did we?"  
"Nah, it's okay kid. Didn't know you could cook, though."  
"They're teaching me new things so I can make my wonderful cooking even more personal!" Papyrus gushed.  
"Well, that's something to look forward to," Sans said, yawning. "But are you sure Frisk's cooking is... hot?"  
Papyrus either missed or ignored Sans' pun. "I believe in their cooking abilities!"  
"Yeah? Where'd you learn, Frisk?"  
"Oh... I stayed with an old woman, um, for the last couple of winters. She said if I cooked then I could have some of the food, and sleep in the garage."

"She made you sleep in the garage?!" Papyrus said, outrage thick in his voice. Then, "What is a garage?"  
"It's... Kind of like a big shed? Usually connected to a house. And she didn't make me, she let me. I was homeless, Papyrus." The human fixed him with a look of someone much older. "Why'd you think I stayed with Toriel?"  
"I thought it was because you have lots of great friends here!"  
"I tried that line," Sans commented. The other two ignored him.  
"I do, Papyrus! You know that. But... If I had somewhere else to go, and I didn't go back, then... I'd get in trouble, and so would the monsters. I only get to stay with Toriel because nobody on the surface wanted me." Frisk shrugged, grabbing the pan and finally moving to put the chopped tomato into it. They didn't see Papyrus tearing up until he grabbed them in a big hug.  
"There are lots of people who want you now! And we all get to be on the surface together!"  
Frisk managed to get the pan on the counter without dropping it and turned around to hug Papyrus back. "Thanks. You're a good friend, Papyrus."  
"I am the best friend! But you have lots of other friends who are also very very good friends! So you have to be happy!"  
Frisk let out a giggle. "As you command! Come on, Mr Chef, we gotta get this finished. We can't hug all day."

* * *

Sans left them to it- after managing to convince Frisk to give his hoodie back- and, no longer having to worry about waking him, things got... Louder. At one point Frisk was "supervising" from a vantage point on Papyrus' shoulders; another time saw Papyrus chasing Frisk around for the box of spaghetti when they told him he was "putting them in the pan wrong". But eventually, together, they had finished. The sauce was simmering in a large saucepan; Frisk drained the spaghetti while sat on Papyrus' shoulders.

"In the new house, maybe you should have the sink lower... So I can cook with you more often!" Frisk dropped the strainer in the sink and passed the heavy saucepan to Papyrus.  
"Hmm. Well, that might be a good idea. You need the cooking lessons! There was not enough passion in your cooking!"

Frisk laughed and carefully climbed from Papyrus' shoulders onto the counter, then jumped to the floor. "Maybe you should wait until you taste it! But... You need more spices. I'll have to buy you some!" They grinned up at the skeleton's dubious expression.  
"What are 'spices'?"  
"They're... Um, well, they're used for adding warmth and flavour?"  
"I told you to cook it at a hotter temperature! There was no burning at all!"  
"N-not... that kind of heat. Um, let me cook you something once I get spices. B-but this shouldn't be too bad without!"

"You wanted to share this with everyone? I doubt they will be able to appreciate it as well as Papyrus can, but we shall share!" Papyrus flopped some spaghetti onto two plates as he spoke, before topping it with some sauce. He passed a plate and fork to Frisk, and followed them to the table.  
"'Bone' appetit, Papyrus!"  
"No! You need to spend less time with my brother! He is becoming a bad influence!" Frisk collapsed into giggles at his horrified expression.  
"Come on, try it- I want to see you try it first, but I'm so hungryyy!"  
"Very well, Frisk! I shall try it!" He swirled some sauce-smothered spaghetti onto his fork. "I am trying it now!"

Frisk watched as he put it in his mouth. He chewed. He... swallowed, although where the food went after that was a mystery. He stared at Frisk.  
"Um, is it-" Frisk's words were cut short as Papyrus started shovelling the rest of his food into his mouth like a man half-starved. "...I guess so." Frisk took a cautious mouthful.  
It was hot- too hot to eat the way Papyrus was- but it wasn't too bad. The mushrooms had been cooked almost to perfection and the few herbs they'd been able to find added a little flavour. They ate it as fast as they could- although they weren't half-way through when Papyrus finished his.

"Human! Are you having trouble?!"  
"It's just... A bit hot. But it's good!" Frisk gave Papyrus a grin, sauce flecked around their mouth. "Tastes like friendship!"  
"...Is that what friendship tastes like? Spaghetti?"  
Frisk swallowed their next mouthful half-chewed. "Uh, I think it tastes like... Like having a good time with a good friend. And that's what this was!"  
"Oh. Yes, that makes sense! I like the taste of friendship!"

Frisk smiled as they finished their food, and Papyrus returned to the kitchen to put some of the spaghetti in tubs. Frisk was going to take one back for Toriel- although whether or not she would touch it once she learned of Papyrus' involvement was another matter. Frisk also took another two tubs, leaving more than enough for Sans, Undyne and Alphys.

After that, it was time for Frisk to go- past time, actually. Sans, in his uncanny way, arrived just as Frisk was about to leave and took them home via "a shortcut", which meant that they weren't late for their lessons when they got back.  
Toriel, however, was already home from overseeing the rebuilding, where she went every morning. She was in the kitchen, cooking, when Frisk came in; and sighed at their entrance, putting everything to one side.

"Frisk-" she started, but was startled as she turned to see her child holding a container out to her.  
"I, um. I made breakfast." They looked up at her, penitence written across their expression. She smiled despite herself. "It's not great, but... Once we get some good ingredients I can do better!"  
Toriel took the container from Frisk's hands. "Thank you, but-"  
"I- I know. I'm sorry. I should have told you I was going out."

"You should have _asked_ me if you could go out and stay out," Toriel corrected gently. "Not left it to Sans to call me on your behalf."  
"I- I didn't plan to stay out! I just..." Frisk remembered why they'd gone over there and flushed. They didn't want to tell Toriel about eavesdropping on the bedtime story. "I just wanted to say goodnight to Sans and Papyrus," they finished weakly.  
"You could have called them for that!" Toriel sighed. "Just... Please try and remember how much I worry, okay?"

Satisfied that Frisk felt bad, she ruffled their hair, hoping the message would sink in this time. She pulled out a plate, before stopping to look at the human. "You said... _you_ made this?"  
"W-well, Papyrus helped a little. But, uh, I was telling him what to do and watching him! It's not bad, I promise."  
Reluctantly, she poured a little onto the plate. "I can see that you have already had some, Frisk."  
"Huh?"  
"It's all around your mouth. And you slept in your clothes, didn't you? Go and shower, my child."  
She heaved a sigh as Frisk ran off, picked up a fork, and loaded it up. Grimacing, she took a tiny bite.

When Frisk came back in from their shower, Toriel was just getting up from the table. Her plate and the tub were both empty, and Frisk beamed.

"You liked it?" Toriel chuckled.  
"Yes, my dear, I did." She planted a kiss on top of Frisk's head, and their eyes widened before they giggled shyly. "Do not think you are getting off lightly with your schoolwork, though!"

* * *

Toriel didn't ask why Frisk stayed out, in the end. She didn't need to. But given how well they focused on their work, she decided that whatever happened, whatever was said, was something the child had needed.


	6. Dinner

Frisk managed to convince Toriel to let them out after they'd finished their schoolwork, a little before dinner. They asked if they could stay out for dinner, which she sighed about, but gave her permission- clearly both pleased that they'd asked, but also feeling like she had little choice if she wanted them to keep asking.  
They took the other tubs of spaghetti and put them in the small backpack Alphys had found for them, before running as best they could through the cold of Snowdin Forest. The route was very familiar now, but although they more often headed to the house of the skeleton brothers, today they turned to where the riverperson waited in their boat- the route they took to the surface. They were there as usual, and took them to Hotland.

It wasn't a long trip, once they'd reached Snowdin, to get to the castle. Between the boat and elevators it was fairly easy- although busy nowadays, with so many monsters heading to and from the surface. More and more monsters were just staying up there now; some homes were finished- mostly the few treehouses, with the help of Muffet and her spiders- but many monsters were choosing to stay in unfinished homes or even sleeping under the stars when it was dry. Undyne, however, liked to sleep out in the rain. There was still a lot of traffic though, and a lot of monsters called to Frisk- more than they knew by name.  
It didn't really slow them though, and they were able to make their way without much fuss. They took a deep breath when they reached New Home. It saw a fair amount traffic- the king had managed to arrange a tunnel that meant not everyone heading out of the Underground had to go through his home when the elevators were busy, but a lot of monsters chose not to use it. Frisk knew that they thought the king didn't mind- Frisk suspected that he just chose not to say anything. After all, having people wandering through your house at all times would wear on anyone's patience.

They hadn't seen a great deal of the king recently. They were always nice to him - it was clear he felt a great deal of guilt over his actions, not only in regards to Frisk, but in general. There was more to it, though- a memory that was only ever completely clear in their nightmares, but still lingered in their waking hours. Of when Toriel hadn't come to protect them. Of them begging him not to fight, of refusing to strike back.

Of him killing them.

Of when they _did_ fight back, managing to show him that they wouldn't give up. Him begging them to take his soul. Them throwing their dagger at his feet. Him promising to look after them, to be... A family.  
Him dying.

Nobody else remembered these things. Frisk had their suspicions about Sans- he always seemed to know a lot, and dropped hints about knowing even more- but he didn't know about this, either. He would probably listen, but... How to even start talking about it? And Asgore certainly could never know. He could never know that Frisk's blood had once stained his hands; nor that Frisk had then seen him turn to dust.

They took a deep breath and went in.  
He was in the kitchen, presumably starting to prepare himself dinner. He had been dressing far more casually since the barrier was destroyed; Frisk supposed it was because of how hands-on he was being with helping his people build their new homes. He heard them enter.  
"Oh? Who's there? One moment!" He turned around, a box of snails in his hand  
"Frisk! Oh- I was about to make myself some food, but..." He looked down at the snails, "I don't think you would want to partake, would you?" He turned to put the box back in the fridge. "Do not worry, it can wait!"

"Um, actually..." Frisk held out the tubs as Asgore turned back around, closing the fridge.  
"Gosh!" Asgore looked from the tubs to Frisk's face and back. "You... brought me food?"  
"I brought two tubs. In case you wanted some company?"  
"Golly, Frisk, that's very touching! Thank you." He took the tubs. "Spaghetti? I have heard from Undyne about how her and Papyrus love to cook! Did they help?"  
"Uh, Papyrus did." Frisk grinned awkwardly, deciding not to tell him how that was something that would put most monsters off. "It's- it's not great, because we didn't have much in the way of spices and stuff, and it needs reheating and it's probably not as good once it's been warmed up-"

Asgore waved away Frisk's concerns. "I'm touched by the thought! I'm sure it will be lovely, and no matter how it tastes, the fact that you thought of me... Well. Thank you, Frisk." He gave the human a broad, whiskery grin before turning away.  
He hummed to himself as he brought some water to the boil and emptied both tubs into a heat-proof dish. "Oh- you need not wait here, if you don't wish to, Frisk," he said. "There are plenty of books in the other room, and if you wish I can bring you some tea?"  
"Th-thanks. I'd like that."

Frisk left the king to potter around the kitchen and inspected the bookshelf. It was fairly easy to work out which books where his, and which had been left behind and he hadn't had the heart to move. Frisk's heart ached for him, looking at the shelves with cooking books and books on snails, and the kid's books on the bottom shelf. They picked one out- it was a little young for them, but even if it wasn't, after all they'd learned about Asriel and Chara, reading their books was a little unnerving. Instead, they pulled out a couple of books belonging to Asgore- a dusty beginner's guide to gardening, and one on monster fables and stories.

They climbed into the huge chair by the warm fire- it was far too big for them to use as a normal chair, but they could curl up in it. They picked up the first book and started trying to get into it.  
It was tough going. Frisk hadn't really had much interest in gardening- the possibility of having their own garden had never crossed their mind, and they'd always liked the woods and more natural green areas to the perfectly landscaped parks in town. They weren't unhappy when Asgore interrupted them with tea- although his beam at seeing what they had picked out made it worth it. They settled back in, determined to get into it, when their phone rang.

"Hey, punk!" It was Undyne. "Where are you? Why aren't you here?!"  
"Uh... Where is 'here'?"  
"Papyrus' house, of course! He said you helped him make dinner! You should be here to suffer with us!"  
"Suf- you don't like it?" Frisk tried to hide the hurt in their voice.  
"We haven't tried it yet- the pair of 'em are heating it now, but come on! You know what his cooking is like!"  
"Well, maybe I'm a good influence on him?"  
Undyne groaned. Frisk could just imagine her rolling her eyes. "Come on, Frisk- you know I like ya, but there's no way your influence is _that_ strong!"  
"Maybe just... try it?"  
"Urgh, alright, hang on..."

There was a pause as she put the phone down. Frisk could hear talking, too muffled to make out, and they sipped their tea while they waited. She came back on the line after a couple of minutes.  
"Alright kid, since you didn't manage to burn the house down in the attempt, I'll try it!" There was a pause- sounds of Undyne eating, then she yelled. Frisk winced and held the phone away from their ear.  
"Hey, Alphys! Come and try this!"  
Frisk could clearly hear Alphys on the other end of the line. "D-do I have to? I was just... going to eat when I got home..."  
"Come on, Alphys, you have to try it!"  
Frisk waited. More sounds of eating. "O-oh, that's... That's pretty good!"  
"Yeah! Maybe I should try cooking with Frisk again some time..."

Someone took the phone from Alphys' hand. "Hey, kiddo. Good job. You even managed not to burn our house down. Where are you?"  
"Oh, I'm, uh... I'm with Asgore."  
"Tell him I said hi!" yelled Undyne.  
"Alright buddy, guess we'd better leave you to it, then. Asgore won't be than-'king' us for distracting you."  
Frisk heard Papyrus yell in the background. They grinned. "I'll, um, see you all soon?"  
"You'd better, punk!"  
"Y-you can come and w-watch some anime with me some time, if you like."  
"Come over and cook with me again, human!"  
"Heh. I think that's a positive. I'll have some books on hand, just in case."  
Frisk blushed and grinned, thankful that Sans didn't explain _that_ to the others.

* * *

In the end, they hadn't managed to read enough to talk about it with Asgore at the dinner table. Not that the king didn't try- he was a little disappointed and started to explain some of the basics of gardening to Frisk, who was too polite to stop him to eat. Finally, he seemed to realise.  
"Oh, gracious- I've been letting the food get cold! I am sorry, Frisk." He loaded up a fork and didn't hesitate to eat it. Frisk watched anxiously.  
"Mm- that is nice! If you like, Frisk, I will get any ingredients you and your friends need. I'll be interested in seeing what else you can cook!"  
"Th-thanks!" Frisk swirled some spaghetti around their plate. "I, um, could use some spices... And definitely some garlic. And I could make some mushroom balls if I had some oats and other ingredients..."  
Asgore laughed. "It sounds like you'd enjoy a cooking book more than a gardening book!"  
"Maybe. I don't really know how to cook that much... I just learned some from, um, a lady I stayed with for a little while."

There was silence for a little while as they both ate. Once they were done, Frisk finished their tea as Asgore leaned back in his chair.  
"Ahh- it's been a while since I had a good meal like that. Thank you very much, Frisk." He got up from his chair and fetched a notepad and pen from the kitchen. "Now... What is it you need? I can see what other cookery books I can find, and we can get you some ingredients to try some different meals from those as well."  
"Well, garlic, for sure... And maybe some ginger..."

* * *

Frisk found they were smiling on the walk back. There had been some moments of awkwardness- that was inevitable- but Asgore had done his best to try and make them feel comfortable, and it had worked better than they had expected. They'd gone through old cookery books- a few times Asgore seemed sad, but he always shook the memories off. He'd shown Frisk more of his gardening- and Frisk had even asked if he'd consider making a bush sculpture as a favour. When they left he had seemed more at ease with them and the situation.

Not to mention... They would be moving to the surface officially very soon. Their house was about ready, and had only taken as long as it had because they'd pointed out to Toriel that there was a lot more space, and with all their friends they might need it. They suspected that the brothers would move when they did, so they didn't even have to miss being close to them.

Today had been a great day. And Frisk had high hopes that there was going to be many more.


	7. Flowey

A lot of stuff had been moved into the new house before Frisk even woke up. The impact of it finally hit them as they left their room and looked at the rest of the house- bereft of furniture and looking sad and strangely large.  
They were excited about having their own room, being able to do with it as they wished- although that hadn't sunk in yet either, really. Toriel had bought some fabric of their choosing with some of the money she'd changed, for their curtains and bedclothes. When the value of gold and the novelty of the monsters were taken into account, their currency was worth a lot- it had helped their attempts to be accepted, Frisk was sure, but so far the monsters were barely spending any of it, so used to getting by on cast-offs and what they could make.

They looked out the front door as they passed it, looking for Toriel. The old tree, it's black, dead-looking branches reaching for the sunlight it would never see, had become so familiar. "Home", Asgore had named this place, countless years ago. Frisk felt a pang as they realised that that was what it had become.

They found Toriel in the kitchen, cleaning up. Everything was gone except for a few plates, most stacked in the sink- but one was steaming with beans and chopped vegetables covered in a tomato sauce. Whoever had been here had probably been the one to disturb their sleep; the oven was gone, but it couldn't have been gone long.

"Oh dear, I hope we did not wake you, my child!" Toriel bustled over to them, wiping her hand on a towel. "We have a big day, I wanted you to sleep as long as you could."  
"It's okay. I wanted to... Look around, before we left. Uh, if that's okay."  
"Oh... Yes, of course you would want to. That is fine, but make sure you eat your breakfast first, will you not? And you will be able to come back, even if- well, even if we will no longer be living here."  
"I know." Frisk gave her a smile to try and reassure her, and took the full plate and the utensils next to it. They ate sat on the floor of what had been the living room, shovelling food in as fast as possible. They stacked the empty plate with the others- it seems they'd missed a shared breakfast, which normally would bother them; but today, they needed to be alone. They hugged Toriel goodbye, grabbed their bag, and took off into the ruins.

A couple of monsters hadn't even left the ruins, yet- and a couple had ventured in since they'd opened up. Frisk didn't see many of them, and didn't stop to talk to any.  
They reached the room where they'd first met Toriel... And Flowey. A shaft of morning sun shone through from the high ceiling, and Frisk sat down, using the light to rummage through their bag and pull out a pencil and the sketchbook Asgore had got them- their first "real" gift. Upset, Toriel had bought them sketching pencils, everyday pencils, fine pens, coloured pencils, and even some paints... Almost as though in retaliation. Although touched by the thoughts of them both, Frisk felt a bit like they were being used as a tool to express Toriel's anger.

They put their thoughts to one side and flipped through to the next empty page. There was no sign or sound of Flowey, and part of them felt they should be more wary, after all the damage he had done. But... They remembered the last time they had seen him, or rather, his other form. He had begged them not to think of the two sides of him as the same person, and for the most part, Frisk didn't. But... They still carried a painful burden of knowing that whatever was left of Asriel, he would be left here, alone.

Their pencil whispered across the paper; sketching rough lines, then going back and adding detail. They weren't thinking too hard about what they were drawing, just letting it happen without stress. When they sat back, they frowned.  
They could never, ever let Toriel see this. Or Asgore. The sketch they had done looked undeniably like Asriel- the way they remembered him, the last time they saw him. They couldn't capture the deep sadness they remembered in his eyes, though- and suddenly they were glad for it. They turned the page roughly, tempted to tear it out entirely.

Their next attempts just frustrated them. The page was covered in scribbles and erased lines, before they threw the book down in disgust. Of course it wasn't going right, of _course_. They were trying to force what they were drawing away from what they were thinking of. They sighed and turned to a new page and tried again.  
This time, they drew a flower, growing out of a patch of grass. It was surrounded by petals, which they carefully shaded to highlight the light falling on it. They looked at it- it looked good, but they hadn't touched the centre. They hadn't known what to do. Now, though- now that they looked at it, they did.  
They bent their head and started drawing a face- an ugly face, with a nasty slash for a grinning mouth, which even through their untrained drawing exuded malice. So intent on getting it right were they that they didn't notice someone arrive near the entrance back to the ruins. They'd been down there a while, and their friends worried. _Someone_ had had to look for them.

They sat back and held up the sketchbook. Their ability to draw when they just relaxed was the one thing they were proud of. They used to steal scraps of paper and pencils when they could, and it was the one thing they'd always done- but after the constant practice since falling down here, they finally felt happy with it; that was summed up with this picture- a beautiful flower shining in the sun, with a vicious, vile grin that made them shiver. It seemed very... fitting.

They sighed and packed the sketchbook and pencil away. Slinging the bag onto their back, they headed further, to where they had fallen. They didn't know if he would be there; it didn't really matter that much. They needed to say goodbye- not to Asriel, the poor, innocent, hurting boy who they'd given their farewells to; but to what he had eventually become. He didn't really need to be there for that. They weren't sure they wanted to see him.  
The flower patch was before them. Frisk sat down. This patch was where they had fallen- presumably, where all the humans had fallen. Including Chara. The flowers had been well-cared for after the fall, any broken ones cleared away. It looked pristine.  
Frisk remembered seeing Chara's coffin in the castle, kept with the other humans- even though it was empty. They remembered the strange flash of memories which were not their own when they had fallen. They frowned.

Was this flower bed here not to commemorate the fall of Chara from the Aboveworld, but...?

Their line of thought was interrupted by a voice. "Why are you here?"  
They looked up. The flower looked a lot less terrifying than he did in Frisk's drawing, or in their nightmares. He looked... Almost sad.  
"I'm leaving. For good. I'm going to the surface and- I don't know if I'll ever come back here."  
"So go." Flowey turned away.  
"I came to say goodbye."  
There was a long pause. "Why?"  
"Why not?"  
"Because I killed you." Flowey turned back to Frisk, his face twisted into that horrific, malicious grin. "I killed you over, and over. I remember it. Do you? Do you remember each time I ripped your life from you?"  
"Yes," Frisk said, simply, and just sat there. There was a long pause. Flowey's face eventually changed back to his sad expression

"So, why are you here?"  
"I came to say goodbye."  
"You know I'm not him, right?" His face contorted, showing a vague, mocking semblance of Asriel. "I'm not your friend. If I could kill you now-"  
"But you can't. And you wouldn't." Frisk spoke with a certainty they weren't sure of, especially as his eyes flickered to behind them and back and his face turned back into his innocent smile.

"Not with your _protector_ there, no. You idiot. You have no idea what he is, do you?" He let out his evil, unnerving giggle, and even as they fought it a shiver ran through their body at the sound. Then his face turned serious.  
"I don't love you, Frisk. I can't. But- what you did- well, I respect it. So let me give you some free advice. The smiley trashbag caused more resets for me than everything else put together. If you value yourself- _don't let him know anything about you_." Then he disappeared.

There was a pause. "Go to hell, Flowey," Frisk finally said, with more vehemence than they expected. Then, much more softly, "goodbye."  
A hand on their shoulder didn't surprise them. They didn't look up, just spoke in a flat voice.  
"Why are you here?"  
"Time to go, kiddo."  
Frisk sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." They got up and walked heavily out of the cavern, back towards the ruins, without even looking at Sans. He had spent the entire time that flower had been there ready to intervene, and now Frisk was acting like he wasn't even there. He grabbed their shoulder, dragging them roughly to face him.  
"Why?"

Frisk blinked, then looked away. "I don't understand."  
"That thing killed you, didn't it? It killed everyone, once- didn't it?"  
"Um. I don't know. I mean..." Frisk bit their lip. "He... definitely killed me." They shivered and rubbed their arms, refusing to look at Sans. "I thought I knew what had happened with him, but after what he said... I guess I don't know as much as I thought."  
They looked up at Sans- he was staring at the spot Flowey had been. The flower had said not to trust Sans- but Frisk didn't think he was being malicious. Not that time. He had still remembered being Asriel, despite trying to scare them away. No- Flowey had believed it.

But that didn't make him _right_. Frisk suddenly made a decision. Maybe Sans was dangerous- he definitely knew more than he had ever let on, that much was clearer than ever. And Frisk hadn't forgotten when he'd said he would have killed them if he hadn't promised Toriel otherwise. But despite all of that- Frisk felt utterly safe with him. And they felt like he needed someone more than any of the other monsters did. They took his hand.

He whirled around to stare at them, startled. "S-Sans," they said, nervousness suddenly uncoiling from their belly and threatening to choke them. They swallowed, trying to make it go away. "I don't know w-what's going on. I thought I did but I don't. But I know that I trust you. And, um, if you ever want to talk about it... I'll listen."  
Sans stared at them like he had never seen them before. It was a few moments before he spoke. "Why are you- never mind, kid." He sighed and shook his head, pulling his hand from Frisk's and turning back towards the ruins. "Come on."

Frisk ran to catch up, catching onto his sleeve so he couldn't ignore them. "No!" They pulled him to face them. "You- you always tell me you're not leaving and that you're there for me, b-but I've never said it to you." Frisk crossed their arms, looking like they were trying to mimic Toriel, and Sans' eyes showed his amusement. "I'm saying it now! I trust you, and I want to be here for you, and I'm not leaving here until you're not upset with me any more!"

"Aw, kid." Sans reached out to ruffle their hair; they ducked away, trying to hold on to their serious stance. "I'm not upset _with_ you, Frisk," he said, more soberly. "But I don't think you know how much of a threat that thing is- it's like you don't even remember what happened at the barrier."  
"I remember better than anyone." Frisk pouted; their lower lip wobbled a little, despite their attempts to look mature. "I remember you all de-defending me, and... I-I remember everyone's p-pain..." Their voice faltered, before they took a deep breath and went on. Sans simply listened.  
"I- I don't know what happened, before, with you, and I don't know what Flowey meant by you causing him 'resets', but I remember what happened. And I know how Flowey happened. And I know that- even with everything that happened, we wouldn't be leaving the Underground if he hadn't... done what he did." They bit their lip, finally dropping their eyes. "I just... think he deserves some mercy for that. And a lot of pity."

"You think everyone deserves mercy. I don't know how you do it, kid- but that's what got us out in the first place, isn't it?" He put his hand on Frisk's shoulder; they continued to stare at the ground. "Can't say I agree with you on _that_ -" he jerked his head back the way they had just come- "but okay, kid. I guess you did what you felt you had to. No harm done."  
"Y-yeah?" Frisk looked back up at Sans. "You aren't upset any more?"  
"Nah. Come on- everyone'll be heading up to the surface in a lily bit."  
Frisk groaned. "You oak me a favour after _that_ one!"  
"I thought we were sticking to flowers? I can't match you for tree puns, I haven't bot-any."  
Frisk giggled. "Iris my case- these puns are painful!"

* * *

They disappeared from the sight of the flower patch, clearly the best of friends once more. The flowers were unmoved, stretching their faces towards the sun- except for one, who watched them depart.

When Flowey spoke, it was in a voice unlike his usual one. "Goodbye, Frisk. Please don't come back."

* * *

 _This was the hardest chapter to date- the others wouldn't let me go until I finished them, but with this one I ended up outright scrapping the original second half. It was too angry and angsty and didn't feel right. I think this is better.  
Starting next chapter I intend to focus on a specific arc dealing with some pretty heavy issues. Assuming I don't get sidetracked (by Sans!) it'll be at least 3-5 chapters long._

 _So far Sans has hijacked almost every chapter. He was only supposed to be focused on in two. He's kind of one of the hardest characters to write- I am not good at puns or bad jokes and I worry that he doesn't sound like himself, so any constructive criticism there would be great.  
_ _Actually, all comments would be great. Critique or otherwise, I'd love to hear if you read and enjoy this. It's my first foray into putting my work online._

 _-Ren_


	8. Nightmares

**A/N- This chapter is part of a multi-chapter arc that discusses mental and emotional trauma and their effects.**

* * *

"I... I do not know what to do." Toriel kept her voice low, to try and ensure Frisk didn't overhear. Some of her guests were less adept at being quiet, but they were trying.  
"Frisk's always had nightmares."  
"They have? I did not know that- they did not tell me."  
"Yeah, they don't like to make a big deal of their own problems." She wished that Sans was making jokes or trying to get a rise out of someone- herself or Papyrus being his most common targets- but he was leaning against the table, his arms folded, clearly treating the situation as too serious for his usual levity. She mused that he often reacted that way to her child- all their friends clearly viewed them as important.  
"Come on- the kid might be the toughest person I know, in their own nerdy way." Undyne snorted. "What've they got to hide from?"  
"I, um." Alphys fidgeted; all eyes turned to her, which made it harder for her to get the words out. "I- I think that, um. M-maybe it has, something to do with, uh. Just being anxious, maybe? I mean, we don't know much about their past, do we?"  
"Aha! That is something that I, Papyrus, can help with!" His pleasure at being able to help with the puzzle of Frisk's mind made him... exuberant, and Toriel begged him to lower his voice. He tried- turning it instead into an overly-dramatic loud whisper.

"I know," he said, "that Frisk used to sleep in something called a garage!" He beamed, clearly thrilled with his inside information. The rest of the group were underwhelmed.  
"Wait, that's it, Papyrus?" Undyne stared at him. "Do you at least know _why_?!"  
"Yes I do!" He stood a little straighter. "It was because they were homeless!"  
"Which was a complete mystery to everyone before now," Sans remarked. Papyrus nodded emphatically, completely missing the sarcasm.  
"It's a good thing that I remembered that, then! That- is useful information."  
Toriel groaned and rubbed her face. "But why would they be so much worse now? They should be getting better, should they not? They have a family, friends, a home- now we have a _real_ home. I do not understand."  
"Um. Maybe it has... something to do w-with leaving the Underground?" Alphys wrung her hands. "M-maybe they... associated the Underground with, uh, with that, that stability?"  
"Whaaaat?" Undyne flopped dramatically on the table. "They were so set on getting out and now they're pining to get back in?! Urrrrgh, that punk..."  
"I d-don't know, just, maybe?"

Sans suddenly shifted. "Actually... I asked Frisk if leaving was really worth it, considering what they had Underground. They said they "didn't belong there"." He shrugged. "Seemed they didn't like being trapped."  
Alphys frowned. "Do you think- maybe- they felt like they wanted to be there, but... but sh-shouldn't? D-despite what they wanted?"  
"Hell if I know. It's one theory. I do know the kid has issues, and they'd rather put 'em all aside for someone else's." He snorted, remembering their recent borderline argument. "No matter if they deserve it."  
"I believe in Frisk's judgement!" Papyrus announced. "If they believe someone deserves their compassion, then so do I! They have excellent judge of character- after all, I am one of their closest friends!"

"Yyyyeah, but that's not the point, is it, Papyrus?" Undyne sat on the table, ignoring Toriel's protests. "The point is them ignoring what they need. I mean, when was the last time they were actually _selfish_?"  
Papyrus gasped dramatically. "You're right! Everything they do has been for us! We must give as much in return!"

Toriel sighed. Alphys and Sans were both very helpful- she had suspected they would be, but trying to invite them without Papyrus and Undyne had been impossible. There was no doubt that the other two were every bit as interested in Frisk's well-being- they were certainly more outwardly passionate about it. But they weren't as good at understanding how the child thought. Alphys and Sans, however, both had quite the golden touch with her child.  
She looked helplessly around. She knew so little about Frisk, even after living with them for... Goodness, nearly a month now. They were still enigmatic, often distant or distracted, and very reluctant to speak in detail about their past- beyond the occasional hint they dropped. And none of them- not even Sans- had managed to get them to talk much about what had happened with the barrier.

Not that any of them had tried overly hard in that particular regard. Whatever happened had clearly hit them hard, and her wishes to give them space had been respected. But was it possible that had something to do with it as well? She mentioned it- but nobody had any sort of solid theories there, since nobody knew what had happened.  
Alphys suggested they all take it in turns to spend time with Frisk- just focus on seeing if they were willing to open up, and what helped calm them down. There was no question as to who would go up first- all eyes turned on Sans as soon as she mentioned the idea. He shrugged and headed up to Frisk's room.

* * *

He knocked and entered. The curtains were open, and sunlight streamed through. Lacking a desk for the moment, Frisk was sat on the floor, surrounded by paper, sketchbooks, and coloured pens. Sans only caught a glimpse of what they were working on before they shuffled it out of sight, but it wasn't the sort of work they usual did. It wasn't drawings of people or places- it was abstract, heavy with black ink, and seemed full of sharp edges and eyes. Sans frowned and sat next to Frisk.  
He hadn't seen them in a couple of days, not since they'd moved up to the surface. The difference was astonishing. Their skin- which had become healthy from regular visits to the surface- was pallid, their eyes bloodshot and there were shadows under them.

"Kid," Sans said, softly. Frisk didn't look up, busying themself with tidying their art supplies away. "Kid, when was the last time you slept properly?"  
They paused. Then they shrugged and pushed everything to one side, finally turning to face him.  
"Did Toriel send you to try and get me to go to bed?"  
"No, buddo. Nobody sent me. But- come on, Frisk. It's obvious something's up." They turned away; instead of pushing, Sans just sat there, next to them. When they finally spoke, their words took him by surprise.  
"Sans? What... What are you scared of?"  
He stared. "Where'd that come from, kid?"  
"W-well, I mean, everyone's scared of something, aren't they?" The question was almost pleading in tone. "E-everyone. Right?"  
"I guess they are." The kid had backed him into a corner with their words. Dammit, but they had a way of doing that. He didn't want to talk about it, he didn't even want to _think_ about it, but he couldn't shut Frisk down either.

They finally turned back to him, and he was struck by how vulnerable they were. This was the kid who had ventured throughout the Underground, righting wrongs and fighting battles with the strongest of monsters. He remembered when they'd first met- when they had turned to face him, fear in their face- but defiance had been in their eyes, and they hadn't flinched from him. That fierce courage in the face of their own fears seemed to have faded.  
"You want to know what I'm afraid of, kid?" He spoke faster than usual, before his doubts got the better of him. "I'm scared of losing this. I'm scared of losing... hope." There was so much more to it but no more words came out, and he wasn't sorry for it.

Frisk stared at him for a long moment, before dropping their head. "I know."  
"Come on, kid-"  
"You... don't remember." They shrugged, trying to smile at him through their tangled hair. "Nobody does. What- happened at the barrier. You- you mentioned it before, and..."  
"You want to tell me about it?" Frisk shook their head, hard, then steadied themself. "Well, you want to tell me why you look like you haven't slept since then?"  
"Um. I haven't, much. I mean, I try, and then... I'm guessing Toriel told you. I... didn't want to worry anyone."  
"Well, we _are_ worried, kid."

Frisk sighed. "I guess... Part of it, is... I'm scared I'll wake up alone. If I wake up at all. Or that I'll be... worse than alone. And- and there'll be no getting out of it, that I made all this up to make it seem less hopeless. I just..." Frisk hugged themself. "I want this to be real. If I'm awake it's still real, isn't it? But-"  
"When you go to sleep, anything can happen, and it feels more real than this." Sans knew. And as Frisk looked up at him, nodding, he knew that they had a good idea of how much he understood, too.  
"You're not alone, bucko. You never have to be alone again, if you don't want to be." He stood up, putting his hands out to Frisk. Confused, the kid let him pull them to their feet.  
"Go and change for bed, kid." They flinched. "I'm going to be right here, okay? I won't leave this room until you're up. But you need sleep."

Frisk paused, then agreed. All of the anxious energy that seemed to have been keeping them going suddenly dissipated, and they slowly grabbed their pyjamas and left to change.  
While they were out, Sans shuffled the drawing supplies to one side and started to undress himself. He'd been trying some new clothes out, something new, and part of it involved trying what some monsters- and apparently, most humans- did and wear shorts under his shorts- or, in this case, shorts under his jeans, something else humans apparently often wore. They were comfortable enough, and he figured he could sleep in them and his t-shirt.

His socks joined the pile and he attempted to straighten Frisk's duvet- clear evidence of the child's restless sleep. It was far more effort than he usually put into his own bed, but this was important. He needed Frisk to get into the bed without automatically thinking of the nightmares.

When Frisk entered the room, though, he wasn't sure they were thinking of much at all. They were having trouble keeping their eyes open; their button-up pyjama top only had a couple of buttons fastened and they were done up wrong. They dropped their clothes on the floor- not a habit of theirs- and sleepily crawled into bed as Sans held the duvet up for them. He tucked them in, then shut the curtains with a whisk of magic.

"I like it when you do that," Frisk said, so quietly he could barely hear it. Then, "Sans, do you..." Frisk let out a jaw-cracking yawn, "do you 'member... when you read me that story?"  
"You want a story now, buddy?"  
Frisk shook their head, curling up close to him, so their head was leaning against his shoulder. It didn't leave him much room to move, but Frisk was asleep in seconds, so that was fine.

* * *

Sans was starting to doze himself when the nightmares started. Frisk started twitching, jolting him awake; then came incoherent cries and half-formed words. They were clearly on the verge of waking themself up.  
Sans grabbed one hand, making the sorts of noises he used to make to get Papyrus back to sleep- when such a thing was possible. With his other hand he brushed the hair out of Frisk's face and used magic to untangle the duvet from their legs. The sounds subsided into something more like soft sobs, then faded further. Frisk opened their eyes. An inventive stream of curse words went though Sans' mind; but they didn't really seem to be fully awake.  
"Sans?" they slurred, barely discernible.  
"Right here, Frisk."  
"Don't leave me."  
"I won't. Go back to sleep. I'm right here."

To Sans' relief, Frisk did just that. Half an hour later, all was still when Toriel stuck her head around the door. She came over, far quieter than one would expect for her size, to see how Frisk was.  
Sans whispered that he'd have to stay there until Frisk woke up. She nodded and left, returning with some books; placing them on the bedside table, where Sans could easily grab them with magic if he needed to. Then she left, with one last, long look at the child, finally deeply asleep.

* * *

There were two more nightmare episodes, neither as violent as the first; Sans was able to get Frisk calm without them showing signs of waking, and after the last, he found that Frisk could use him as a pillow, after all- regardless of what he had planned. He spent a little time lying on his back with their head on his shoulder, reading by the light of his own magic as he levitated a book above him; before finally, emotionally drained himself from Frisk's panics, he let himself fall asleep as well.  
He was blissfully unaware of Alphys taking pictures of the pair of them, or of Toriel dropping off two plates with pie on it (a new recipe Frisk had picked out before the move, heavy with exotic fruits). He wasn't aware of much until he felt Frisk stirring. The movement catapulted him into wakefulness, and he watched them until they yawned and rubbed their eyes.

"How are you feeling, buddy."  
"Mmf." Frisk buried their head under the duvet, but he still heard the reply. "Better, I guess."  
"Yeah? Slept okay in the end?" He saw the duvet shift as they nodded. "I think Alphys was clamouring for your company once you were feeling better."  
"Oh." Frisk frowned, lifting their head from out of the duvet, their hair a wild mess. "Um, do you think... If I slept over... Would she make me sleep in another room?"  
"You'd have to ask her, kid. You don't want to sleep alone, I take it?" Frisk shook their head, ruffling their hair even more. "Well, between the lot of us, I'm sure we'll work something out."

* * *

 _This was a difficult chapter to get to feel "right"- trauma affects people in many ways, and I feel like Frisk would definitely show signs of that and that it would need to be addressed.  
_ _I didn't want this to turn into a massive "deal with Frisk's mental health" story, but even if we overlook Frisk's past, what they went through in the Underground would have a massive psychological impact on ANYONE. I really felt that it was important to me to examine that. This is the first of a five-chapter arc focusing on that._

 _Hopefully I've managed to deal with this complex and varied issue in a realistic and reasonable way; if anyone feels otherwise, let me know._

 _-Ren_


	9. Shared Anxiety

**A/N- This chapter is part of a multi-chapter arc that discusses mental and emotional trauma and the effects of them.**

* * *

There was a laboratory being built for Alphys on the surface despite her no longer officially being the royal scientist; tucked into the mountain's face and further up the stream that ran near the new settlement, it was a little distant from the actual homes being built. For the moment though, Alphys still returned to her old lab- when she didn't stay with Undyne on the surface. The pair of them were seldom apart.  
Today was one of those times, though, Frisk realised as they entered her lab in Hotland and there was no exuberant welcome; only Alphys' quiet one. Even though they would probably move permanently soon, Alphys and Undyne had made the lab much more of a home than previously; touches of both women were spread on the lower level, including a television and a battered old sofa. There was a selection of new DVDs as well- Alphys had been one of the more eager monsters to start spending, despite Toriel's attempts to teach her to be careful with her new money.

She offered Frisk a cup of sticky, sugary soda, which Frisk refused in favour of some water. They sat awkwardly on the sofa, sipping at it, while Alphys returned with her own drink. Neither of them were that great at opening up and starting conversations, despite the friendship they had developed; and they hadn't seen a great deal of each other since the barrier had been broken, which didn't help. There was a long pause where neither of them looked at the other.  
"Um." Frisk finally started, looking at a pile of armour in a corner. "I, uh, how are things with Undyne?"  
"O-oh!" Alphys blushed and Frisk smiled. They remembered how they tried to play matchmaker.  
"Did you tell her that... you want her to hold you?" They leaned slyly towards her; she laughed, still blushing, and shoved them away.  
"I-I'm not telling you that!"  
"You already poured your heart out to me _about_ Undyne," Frisk pointed out. There was a pause while Alphys hid her face.

"Okay," she finally squeaked. "Th-things are going okay."  
"Oh." Frisk frowned. "Only okay?"  
"Oh god no things are _amazing_ she's _amazing_ I can't believe it I-" Alphys clapped her hands over her mouth, letting out a little squeak. "I mean, I mean, things are, that is- um. Th-things are good?"  
Frisk stifled a laugh and bumped Alphys with their shoulder. "I'm glad! I'm... I'm happy for you."  
"But! Ah! I didn't, um. I wanted to, uh. To talk to you about things that don't, you know. Involve Undyne."  
Frisk gulped down the rest of their water and held the cup out. "Um, may I have some more?"

Alphys got up and re-filled the cup, while Frisk bit their lip. They hated this, the idea that all of their friends had got together to worry and talk about them and what to do. They tried to work out how to get out of it without Alphys feeling hurt. They hadn't even got close to an answer when she sat back down, giving them the cup.  
"S-so, um. Frisk. H-how are you? Really?"  
"I'm fine. Just, um, needed a good sleep." Frisk gulped at their water, not making eye contact. There was a pause.

"I, um. I used to pretend everything was fine. I mean- you saw it. I didn't want anyone to know what- what I had done, but... I also... I didn't want to, um, that is... I didn't want anyone to know how I felt." Alphys turned her mug around and around in her hands, not really looking at anything. Frisk watched her intently out of the corner of their eye.  
"I thought- if I pretended to be f-fine, I wouldn't... burden anyone. I could just, just try not to cause anyone any more trouble and at least things wouldn't get _worse_ , you know? I didn't- I didn't feel like I deserved anyone comforting me, so I- I pushed people away, or I lied, about why I was- about how I felt."

There was a long pause; Frisk didn't move. Alphys finally continued.  
"I- I think it was easier, that you saw what I had done, someone- someone finally knew. I had to- to tell more people, then. It wasn't a secret. But I still tried to h-hide how I felt... I felt, I felt worthless. I felt like... Like I didn't deserve anyone being close. But, I don't know... After the barrier broke, I, I finally started to... to really tell Undyne, about all of it."  
Frisk fidgeted, remembering reaching out to Alphys' soul. Her fear, how convinced she was that she was hated... Did they help? Did they manage to actually make her feel better, or was it something else? It didn't matter, though- they could hardly repeat what they had done back then.

"It's... still hard," Alphys continued, and Frisk dragged their attention back to the present. "There's still times when I want to... To give up. To not let anyone know. But, I guess, feeling like I'm not alone... That, that was the big thing. If not for that, I... I think I would have..." There was a long pause.  
"W-well! What I m-mean is... Y-you're not alone, either a-and... I know what it's like. To, to feel scared about... telling someone how you feel. But I don't n-need to live in fear any more, and, um... Neither do you."

There was a long pause while neither of them looked at the other. Alphys suddenly knocked back her entire mug of soda, then realised she had nowhere to put it; finally putting it on the floor. Frisk was motionless, staring at their own cup. Finally they spoke, not looking up.  
"I feel like... I don't deserve this. You, you all have... so much to worry about, so much to do. You shouldn't have to worry about... me. I feel like... I'm in the way."  
"Um. But. But you don't have to worry about anyone else, but you do. So- so isn't it okay if others worry about you too?"  
Frisk frowned. "I... never thought of it like that."  
"I, uh, I'm not... any good at this, but... I-I'm here! A-and I'll try." Alphys patted Frisk awkwardly on the arm. They glanced at her clawed hand, before hunching in on themself more.

"I... just want to not feel afraid."  
"W-what are you afraid of?"  
"Of... everyone realising that I'm not worth the effort. Of waking up tomorrow, and this all... Th-this all..." Frisk's words became choked with tears; their eyes wide and unseeing. "I-I'm m-most afraid th-that I'll wake up, and the n-nightmare w-will be real, and... And I'll have to go th-through it over, and over, and I'll never ever w-wake up from it, that this is j-just a dream I made up a-and it's the nightmare that's real..."  
Alphys stiffly put her arm around Frisk, letting the child lean against them. She looked desperately around the room as they wiped their eyes on her labcoat, but nothing came to mind.  
"I- I guess none of th-this makes much sense, does it? W-without... knowing what I'm t-talking about."  
"Um." Alphys scratched her face. "I don't know the- the details? But? I think? I know... what you're talking about. With, being afraid, and, and feeling like everyone will leave. I feel like that... every day. But, um. Nobody left even when I told them. Even though Toriel fired me. Sh-she's still... really nice to me."

Frisk sniffed and wrapped their arms around Alphys. "Y-you deserve it," they said. "It must have been... r-really hard. You deserve people being... nice to you."  
"W-well! If I deserve it then so do you!"  
Frisk sat up, wiping their eyes on their own sleeves, and gave her a small smile. "So, uh... I guess we have to agree that we... both deserve it?"  
"Um!" Alphys paused, then nodded and smiled back. "I... Yes! Yes. We do."

Frisk fell asleep on Alphys' sofa while they were watching one of Alphys' anime DVDs. She texted Toriel, who was fine to let them stay if it meant they actually got some sleep- although she also sent a long warning about Frisk's nightmares, and how Sans had had to handle them. Alphys brought over blankets, snacks, and a bottle of drink; tucked Frisk in and sat at the other end, continuing to watch with the sound lower and feeling guilty every time she forgot about them and reacted loudly to the show.  
Eventually Alphys fell asleep herself, the TV still on. She was jolted awake by Frisk kicking her, and blinked blearily; before sitting bolt upright, knocking an open bag of crisps to the floor. They were tangled in the blankets, and seemed to be trying to get free.

Panicking, Alphys did the first thing that came to mind- she leaned over Frisk, grabbed their shoulders, and shook them. "Frisk!" she yelled. "Frisk, it's- it's okay, wake up!"  
Frisk's eyes flew open and they yelled, scooting away from her; their backside hit the arm of the sofa and they panted, looking around wildly.  
"It's okay," she continued, almost pleading, "it's okay, you're safe, you're at my lab, you're okay, it's okay."

Frisk stared at them for a moment, before slumping down, letting their head flop against the back of the sofa. There was a long pause, before Alphys thought to pause the DVD.  
"Um- are you okay?" she finally said. Frisk just shook their head, not looking at her.  
"Should I- I mean, maybe I could- oh, I know, I'll call Toriel!" She started searching in the folds of blanket for her phone, but Frisk put their hand on her arm and shook their head again.  
"I..." They took a deep breath. "It's like... Sh-shaking a bottle of pop? And you shake it, and you shake it, but it's okay, it won't burst, but then you forget and you try to open it and it just goes everywhere and you can't stop it any more."  
"Is- that how you feel?" Frisk shook their head.  
"The- the nightmares." They rubbed at their face; too tired to cry. "I've had them for ages, but... Since I fell, it's been... Like shaking the bottle, all the time."  
"A-and trying to open it?"  
Frisk paused, remembering talking with Sans after seeing Flowey. Everything that had dragged up. It was going to happen sooner or later.  
"It- doesn't matter. If that didn't happen, it _would_ have burst open, wouldn't it? I- I can't pretend none of it happened. I just... It isn't fair. I did everything right- didn't I? It isn't fair."

Alphys didn't know what else to say. She let Frisk lie back down the other way, their head on her leg; when they managed to fall back asleep, she was left with her own thoughts and fears. It wasn't fair. It never was. And it was hard. She wished she could really tell them that they weren't alone, but she knew she wouldn't have believed it if someone had just used those words. It had taken Frisk, and Undyne, and Papyrus, all reaching out to her, for her to believe it. And it was still hard.

But... If that had worked for her, maybe it would work for Frisk, too. Maybe she could get this right.

* * *

 _I think it's widely understood that Alphys is depressed, to the point of being potentially suicidal; I wanted to explore her trying to talk to Frisk in a way that wasn't actually about her talking about her issues, but about their relationship and mutual needs. I don't know if I got it right- Alphys is one of the harder characters to write, for me. (Which is partly why she doesn't get enough focus. Sorry, Alphys!)_

 _As with the previous chapter, I'm trying to explore mental health in an accessible, sensitive way that makes sense for the story and characters. Let me know what you think._

 _-Ren_


	10. The Next Step

**A/N- This chapter is part of a multi-chapter arc that discusses mental and emotional trauma and the effects of them.**

* * *

"There you are, my child!" Toriel spread her arms at the sight of Frisk coming into the kitchen. She was relieved to see Frisk looking far better rested; sleeping for a decent amount of the day before, and then last night at Alphys', combined with the walk through the fresh air, had clearly done them good... Even if they did look a mess now. Their hair needed a good brush and their clothes were wrinkled from being slept in. But the fact that they no longer looked unwell was reassuring.  
Alphys had called her while they were on their way home, to tell her some of what Frisk had said and of their nightmares, and to say she would do some research on humans to see if she could find anything that would help. Toriel was grateful- albeit concerned about some of Alphys' prior ideas about what humanity was like, and quietly determined to double check anything brought to her attention.

For now, though, she swept Frisk up in a hug. The human responded in kind, wrapping their arms around her neck- they were getting more and more physically affectionate by the day, regularly leaning on their friends when sat next to them and preferring to stay close. It had seemed likely they were making up for lost time in that regard, but from what Alphys had said it could go deeper, be a need for a reminder that it wasn't a dream.  
Toriel let the hug go on a few seconds longer, before giving Frisk an extra squeeze and letting go. "How are you feeling, dear one?" She smoothed their hair as best she could. "You look better."  
"Mm." Frisk nodded. "Yeah."  
"Do you want some breakfast? There is some pie left- did you like it? Or there are beans, if you would prefer something savoury?"  
"Um. Pie is okay, it was nice."  
"I will warm it for you- you should go and shower and put some clean clothes on, okay?"

A hot shower and a change of clothes did Frisk a lot of good; and when they came back into the kitchen, they looked a lot more like their normal self than they had for a few days. Toriel sat with them at the table- the same one from her old house in the ruins, but with a stack of chairs nearby to accommodate for their regular visitors. They both sat down at one corner- Toriel on one side, Frisk on the other- so she could watch them closely. They ate the pie like they were starving- which, Toriel remembered, probably wasn't too far from the truth, given how poor their appetite had been before now.  
"How are you feeling?" she asked tenderly as they finished.  
"Um. Better. I'm sorry for worrying everyone."  
"You have no reason to be sorry." She placed her large hand over Frisk's small one, swallowing it in soft white fur. "Do you wish to discuss it?"  
They paused. "It's... lots of things. All piled together into one, like a... a snowball or something."  
"Well, can you talk to me about any of those things?"

Frisk chewed on their lip, staring at their empty plate. "Well... Part of it is... I guess I feel scared that you might... change your mind. Decide that I'm too much of a burden."  
"Oh... Oh Frisk, dear, no. That will not ever happen, I promise you that." She squeezed their hand. "Do you feel that way because of what happened to you before you fell?"  
Frisk nodded. "You... never asked, but... My parents abandoned me, because I wasn't... born right. They, they left me at an orphanage. It was horrible there. I ran away, a couple of years ago now I guess, and I just... managed to get by. I stole, sometimes, and there were some... Some good people, who helped, but nobody _wanted_ me. Why would they?"  
Toriel felt her heart ache for the child, who seemed much smaller and younger than usual. "Why would- oh, my dear child, do you truly believe that? There are so many reasons why someone would want you, want to protect and guide you. You are a sweet child, so full of love and compassion, so determined to help others- and very strong, too, to have carried that burden, and all the burdens of those you want to help."  
"M'not strong," Frisk muttered. "Undyne is strong."  
"I meant here," Toriel said, gently tapping at Frisk's chest with one finger. "In your heart and your soul. You may not feel it, but you are. We all see it. That is but one part of why we all love you so, dearest."

Frisk snuffled, blinking hard. They didn't say anything, and Toriel didn't push it for the moment, just remained holding their hand for a little while longer.  
"Thanks," they finally said. She squeezed their hand.  
"Did this- these nightmares, these fears- get worse because we moved to the surface?"  
Frisk shook their head, then paused to think. "Well... Maybe a bit? But, I... I try not to think about stuff, but it suddenly all came out. Like, like a bursting dam, I guess?" They peered up at Toriel; she nodded to show she understood. They looked back down at her hand, covering their own. "I don't want to be alone and afraid any more. But I don't know how not to be."

She picked their hand up, holding it between both of hers. "We will teach you."  
They finally looked up at her properly, giving her a small smile. "Okay."

* * *

Frisk was in their room, doing what little schoolwork Toriel had decided to give them, when Alphys sent her a message, asking to come over. Although Alphys' manner of texting tended to confuse her, this time she had no problems with understanding the urgency.  
When Alphys arrived, she had printed sheets of paper in her arms, which she put down on the table.  
"Um. So." She started to rummage through them. "I guess, um... Well, human minds work different to monster minds, right?"  
Toriel nodded, pulling out a chair for Alphys, who ignored it. The short scientist hadn't even said hello, just bustled in in her lab coat and begun.  
"I mean, we're mostly made up of magic, they're not, we know that, but they're more like... A machine." Alphys found what she was looking for, and pulled it out- a diagram of what appeared to be a cross section of a human head, showing a skull and an internal organ. "This is the brain, it's like, it's the part of a machine that does all the thinking, the body just reacts to the brain, okay? But- but like a machine, sometimes things... go wrong, or, or the brain wasn't prepared for, um... certain variables? And it causes them to break down?"

She shuffled through the papers again, pulling out other sheets- sheets on mental illness, on trauma in children and the development of the brain. Toriel finally sat down, recognising the sheer depth of research that Alphys had done. This was going to take a while.

* * *

The result of Alphys' research amounted to, 'we don't know'. She pointed to certain possibilities that made a lot of sense, with Frisk's behaviour and what was known about their past; but as she pointed out, this was so far outside of her field of expertise that she was borderline guessing about a lot of it.  
They could not ignore Frisk's humanness. They weren't a monster, and they functioned in ways that they didn't fully understand; they couldn't say what were quirks and what were problems to worry over. The fact that all homes that Frisk was likely to visit had to be built with... extra bathroom facilities should have tipped them off, Toriel thought; but things went a lot further than she could have guessed. She sighed, feeling saddened by the knowledge that she couldn't give Frisk what they needed without turning to outside help. She remembered the sickness of her first human child; how utterly unable to help they had all been. She remembered wanting to keep Frisk in the ruins- where she would have been completely unaware that humans could even get illnesses of their minds. How close she had come to repeating history; even with all the years she had lived she still made mistakes she never saw coming.

Frisk had been wary at the idea of seeing a human doctor; but she promised to be there with them, and they had agreed. As she lay in bed that night, Frisk asleep next to her, recovering from their first bout of nightmares, she made them that promise again, silently; no matter how many mistakes she made, she would never stop trying. She would be there for them.

* * *

 _I'm not a fan of this chapter- it's a necessary transitory chapter, but it feels like that's all it is. Sorry!_

 _One thing in particular that bothers me is the way it feels like I'm trying to suggest that monsters can't get mental illnesses. **That was not my intention.** I do know, however, that depression, anxiety and PTSD can have a long-term, potentially permanent effect on the way the brain physically functions- and frankly, that is not something the monsters are capable of handling. To their minds, love, support and care would be the treatment from someone who is suffering from trauma- I leave it up to you to decide if that's enough for them, but while that's all incredibly helpful, it's not enough for a human._

 _There was no way for me to say all of this in the story without basically forcing it in; but isn't that why people leave author notes?_

 _I do want to reiterate what's been said to Frisk, though- if you're suffering from any mental illness, you are not alone._

 _-Ren_


	11. Doctors

**A/N- This chapter is part of a multi-chapter arc that discusses mental and emotional trauma and the effects there-of.**

Their connections to the new race with a lot of gold helped Frisk in ways they didn't have any idea of, as they sought an audience with a mental health professional. The red tape which usually would hamper progress was swept aside without any of them even knowing it existed; and it was little more than a week of Toriel writing the letters that they saw the first doctor. The day was quite an event for Toriel, who found herself in the middle of a human city where she was stared at and everyone whispered wherever she went. She relied on taxi companies that Alphys found for her, spending as little time on the streets as possible.  
The doctor said that they had symptoms of a couple of mental illnesses- the names of which went over Frisk's head entirely, but Toriel had made a note of them. He said that he would send them a full report, but that his recommendation was for the child to see a counsellor, and possibly to try medication. Frisk had spoken out against the latter- which he said was only an option, and one to keep in mind. The counselling, however, was agreed on, and he sent a referral to a clinic in the town near their settlement, where he knew there was a counsellor who specialised in seeing children. It wouldn't be free, but they were offered what Alphys assured them later was a very good rate. The only rub, as far as Toriel viewed it, was that she couldn't attend; Frisk was anxious as to what they would have to talk about and if they'd even be believed.

Over the two weeks between that appointment and their first with a counsellor, Frisk settled in. The schoolhouse was nearing completion, which meant they'd be joining the other children there; as such, Toriel increased their workload to ensure they wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage. They had less free time than they were used to and they spent a lot of that drawing to clear their mind, but their friends made a point of making sure they saw each other. Frisk spent at least a couple of nights each week with one or other of their friends- meaning all of them got a crash course in handling their nightmares. Undyne was surprisingly good at it; it surprised nobody but Papyrus himself, however, when Frisk's attempts to stayed with him resulted in them sneaking into Sans' room instead. Sans was only surprised to wake up to Frisk on the floor, having expected them to wake him when Papyrus proved his well-meaning ways weren't up to the task of comforting them. Asgore researched different herbal teas and managed to get Frisk to rest much more peacefully than Toriel wanted to acknowledge- even if they did get up twice in the night for the toilet whenever staying with him, due to the sheer amount of it he made them before bed. He was very eager to have Frisk stay over- even if it meant going to bed early and sharing it with a child prone to waking up. Despite everything that had happened between them, his deep voice was very good at soothing Frisk's nightmares.

The day came. All of Frisk's closest friends came to see them off; Mettaton had helped design a new top for them, in white and light blue with a vivid red tie around the waist, which they wore proudly. Asgore gave them a big hug, and whispered that he knew they would be fine; Papyrus felt the need to give them just as big of a hug, despite their squirming at his sharp bits. Undyne offered to beat up the counsellor if they upset Frisk, which was rewarded by a grin. Alphys was joining them and Toriel in the taxi, which would drop Frisk off and pick them up- they had argued that it seemed silly to pay extra for the taxi to drop Alphys and Toriel off and pick them back up, but now, they were relieved to have the company.  
Finally, last moment before they set off, they looked at Sans. He winked. "You'll be fine, kid."

* * *

The counsellor was a tall, wiry elderly man, with keen eyes behind his glasses and warm skin burnished darker by the sun. They'd been to the clinic for an assessment, where they'd talked a little bit about life before the fall and about what had happened Underground; but this was the man they'd have to tell all sorts of painful things to. They were shy while he explained some of the legalities; but then his gentle questions and easy humour helped them open up, and they spent the rest of the session talking about their friends, and how much they wanted them to be happy and worried about burdening them. He had said that it would probably take a long time to "unpack everything so you can manage it better", but that it was an excellent first session. Frisk felt like he was telling the truth and almost skipped out to the waiting taxi, giving Toriel a big hug when they reached it.

There was one thing he had said that had bothered Frisk, though. They'd mentioned how there was so much they could never tell their friends, and he had asked why not. When Frisk had said they didn't want to burden them, he pointed out that friendship was give and take; when Frisk had said they wouldn't understand, he had asked how much that mattered, if they listened. Frisk hadn't been able to answer that one. He had made it seem like talking to them about their problems was a good thing for a friendship.  
But would they understand? Would they even believe them? They could never, ever tell Toriel or Asgore about Flowey- nor Alphys, who had brought him into being, or Papyrus, who had been duped by him. As for their ability to not die when they were Underground-  
Flowey's words suddenly flashed through their head. That last time they had seen each other, with Sans watching, uninvited and unnoticed by Frisk. What had he said? He had thought Sans was dangerous- referred to him as "causing him resets". And Sans hadn't been at all phased by the idea that the flower had killed Frisk, despite them still standing before him.

Toriel's hand on their arm jolted them out of their reverie. They had been so lost in thought, in trying to work it all out, that they'd paid no attention to the journey home. They climbed out the taxi, noticing Toriel watching them, concerned. They forced a small smile.

"I'm okay, really," they said. "But I... I have to do something."

* * *

 _Another transitory chapter; just quickly establishing Frisk going to counselling, and finding it to be useful. I really didn't want to dwell on the counselling itself beyond that; rather, I want to explore how it affects them._

 _So while the next chapter is technically the last of exploring Frisk's mental health, this is the last with such a heavy focus on it.  
_ _And Sans only kidnapped one of the chapters of this arc- so far!_

 _As ever I would love to hear any thoughts or feedback. I'd love to hear if people are enjoying it!_

 _-Ren_


	12. Secrets

**A/N- This chapter is part of a multi-chapter arc that discusses mental and emotional trauma and the effects there-of.**

Alphys accompanied Frisk to the house of the skeleton brothers. Although Toriel's house was a little way apart from any of the others, Undyne and the brothers had ended up being by far their closest neighbours- although Undyne didn't spend much time in her own house, often either with Papyrus or Alphys.  
She was with the brothers now; she and Papyrus rushed over to them, clamour for information. Frisk tried to discourage them, by hinting that it was personal; then said it was all just boring legal stuff and stuff about how humans worked, which seemed to disappoint them. But they left the subject alone after that, and they dragged Alphys into their plans. Since Frisk had the day off from studying, they'd all taken the day off from helping with the building too, since they hadn't all had a day together for a while.

Frisk couldn't relax, though. The discussion with their counsellor kept going through their mind, as did the idea that Sans might be able to understand, maybe even help them understand. They waited until the other three were grouped around the DVDs that Papyrus and Undyne were collecting before going over to him.  
"How's it goin', Frisk?" He looked laid-back, relaxed. For once, he wasn't having to worry about them; they felt a pang when they realised they were going to ruin his relaxing afternoon, before remembering their session and pushing it away as best they could.

"Hey, um, can I talk to you? In private?"  
"Sure, kid." He nodded towards the door and Frisk headed out, Sans behind them. Alphys noticed and nudged Undyne; they whispered and giggled together (well, Alphys giggled and Undyne snorted.) Frisk and Papyrus didn't notice; Sans did, but didn't respond.  
They walked towards the nearby stream. It was quiet here- most monsters gave their group of houses a wide berth out of respect for Toriel- but Frisk didn't say anything, keeping their hands jammed into the jeans pockets. They stopped at the stream.

"We should build a bridge here," they said suddenly.  
"Really, kid. You brought me out here to tell me that," Sans said dryly.  
"No, just... Thinking."  
"You wanna get across?"  
"Um, sure, but- eep!" Before Frisk could prepare themself, Sans lifted them and levitated them across the stream, planting them firmly on their feet. They took a deep breath and turned to berate him, only to find him standing next to them, that grin on his face.  
"Sans! D-don't _do_ that!"  
"Huh. Thought you wanted to get across."  
"W-well, I... Okay, don't do that without warning me, okay?"  
"Sure, kid." They set off through the trees. "What did you want to talk about, anyway?"

Frisk stopped by a tree. There was a sturdy branch, low and strong; and they pulled themself onto it. Sans leaned against the tree and Frisk did likewise, one leg hanging off the branch.  
"I... this is going to sound insane. Sometimes I think it is. But, um. Do you remember when you came into the ruins after me?"  
The air between them suddenly felt heavy with tension. "Sure."  
"W-well, that flower... Um, he's called Flowey, he-"  
"Wait, Flowey? His name is... _Flowey_? You're not having me on here?"  
"I didn't name him!" Frisk said, heatedly. Sans shook his head.  
"Never said you did, kid. Heh, Flowey... Okay, go on."  
"Right, well, um... No, wait, I should start, um... Okay. When I fell down, he tried to kill me. Toriel defended me, but when I went to leave her house, he showed up again... Said some weird things, about relentless killers, and called me a monarch? And then disappeared, and he didn't show up until I... fought Asgore."  
"You fought Asgore." Sans' eyes were narrowed, focused on Frisk, but he didn't correct them.  
"I... Do you remember before I went to him, you talked to me about, uh, about killing, and... All of that?"  
"Yyyyeah?"  
"You were right. I'd heard it before. I- did fight him. And he- Sans- he killed me. I tried not to fight him, I tried to talk him down, and he listened at first, but then- then he killed me. I... remember dying, and then I came back. I think it's because of magic in the underground, but I came back... To before we had that conversation. I could've gone back later, but..." Their composure started to crack. "I w-wanted to, to get a chance to... say goodbye again. B-because, I knew, I... I had to f-fight him. And I did. But I didn't kill him."  
They sniffed and took a deep breath, collecting themself. Sans was silent, listening and waiting. Finally they continued.

"Flowey did. He took the human souls that Asgore had, and he killed Asgore. And then... He..."  
"He killed you."  
"N-not at first. He. He took my power, my ability to go back, I don't know how, maybe just b-because having all those souls made him stronger, but I... I couldn't go back. And he... Changed. Into. Into what I have nightmares about. One of the things. And then I tried to fight back, and he killed me. And I came back... To before he killed me. And he did it again." Frisk was shaking, staring wide-eyed at nothing. "And I finally... I reached out to the human souls, and I managed to get them to break free, and I thought I could beat him, but he went back again- and he held my soul, and he killed me, over and over and over. And I- I didn't think I could hold on. I had to, I couldn't let him win, if he got the seventh soul, if he got _my_ soul... Everyone... He would have destroyed everything he could. And then... In the end, the human souls rebelled. And they left him broken. And I... left."

Frisk leaned back against the tree, breathing hard. Sans stayed quiet, watching Frisk intently. Finally they started again.  
"Then you left me a voice message. You don't remember that, do you?"  
"Nah, this was all in a different time, by the sounds of it."  
"Maybe? I don't know how any of this works. But... I never wanted to leave, I just thought that... I _should_. And Asgore, before he... He said that he'd give me a place, a family. I felt like... I felt so stupid for leaving. I had no place above, so I found the hole that I fell down before. And I was sat there, when I listened to your message."  
"What did I say?"  
"Things were bad, but... You didn't want me to give up hope, that if you guys were all holding on I had to as well. And Papyrus and Undyne both spoke, as well. Toriel had gone back to rule, and... And things were bad. For me, for you- for everyone. So I thought... If I fell back down, maybe I'd be able to go back, and try again. But- it's only ever happened when I died. So... Either I'd get to go back and fix things, or I'd fail and never know that and never have to worry about it again. So I jumped. And it worked."

Sans was staring at them, no longer leaning against the tree; but they couldn't look at him, couldn't stop talking. It was like they'd opened a floodgate and the words were pouring out, whether they wanted them to or not.  
"So I didn't fight Asgore, not this time, I just left, and then... The stuff that happened, happened, with Alphys, and then I went to him and you all came. And Flowey. Maybe he'd been the one to pull me back, I don't know, but he had taken the human souls again, and you all defended me-"  
"I remember that bit," Sans said quietly. Frisk continued as if they hadn't heard him.  
"-And he took _everyone_. Everyone but me. I watched as you all disappeared. And I... I just held on. To my memories of everyone. But I felt myself slipping so I reached out, to your souls... This all sounds insane, doesn't it? You must think I'm nuts." Sans shook his head, and Frisk took a deep breath and continued.  
"I had to... Get you all to remember me. And it... helped to stop me slipping. So I reached out to As- to who Flowey had been, long ago, and he... He thought I was someone else, all along. And he..." Frisk was finally crying now, trying vainly to wipe the tears away, but though their words became harder to understand they didn't slow. "He broke down, he was so broken, so terrified, so alone, and then he just stopped fighting, and he broke the barrier and brought everyone back, and then I woke up. And he turned back into the flower. And he's stuck like that. And, and that's what my nightmares are, of him, or of you- all of you, or any of you, and I can't save you, or you don't want me to, and I'm alone again, or I die again. And... I know it all sounds crazy, but I thought- you seem to know, I don't know, something. I thought you might believe me."

"I do believe you, Frisk," Sans said. They looked at him; he was staring at them with empty sockets, but they weren't afraid of that any more.  
"Y-you do?"  
"Yeah. It explains a lot, kiddo. And all that- it'd give anyone nightmares."  
"I guess it would." Frisk leaned back against the tree, wiping their eyes. "I don't think anyone else would understand, though, would they? I don't even understand."  
"Nah, they wouldn't. But you've helped me understand stuff I didn't before. That flower- that _is_ the anomaly, isn't it? Screwing with timelines, jumping back and forth, until it all... Ended." He wasn't really speaking to Frisk, who had turned to look at him; rather, he was musing aloud. "It really _did_ all end, didn't it. But we're past that."  
"Y-yeah." Frist swung both their legs off the branch, facing him, and hooked their hands under it so they could lean forwards. "We are."  
"I guess I'm the only one that can say it, then." He turned his grin on Frisk, his eyes no longer black and empty.  
"Huh?"  
"Thanks, kid. The others think they know what you did for them. But I got a good idea, now, and it's more than they could guess. So... Thanks."

Frisk blushed and looked away. "Well, um. I just. It. Ohgod Sans stop looking at me." They let their head fall forwards until their hair covered their face. He smirked.  
"All the praise you get for getting us out of there and you still can't accept someone saying thanks?"  
"Th-that's different! They don't know. They don't _know,_ they can't. But... You do and I, just. Argh. I don't know what to saaaay." They rubbed at their face with one hand.  
"Don't gotta say anything, buddo." He leaned against the tree, looking back towards the monster village until Frisk composed themself. He glanced over once they sat back up- they were still red in the face, but less embarrassed than they were.  
"Why'd you want to tell me all this, anyway? This have anything to do with your session?"  
"Mmhmm." Frisk shuffled along the branch and jumped off, landing lightly in front of him. They sat at the base of the tree and leaned against it. "He said- my counsellor... Well, it doesn't matter. It just made me... Feel like I should, uh, stop bottling it all up. I just... didn't expect it all to burst out of me like that. Sorry."  
"Did he tell ya to stop apologising all the time? 'Cause you should stop apologising all the time."  
"I'll mention that to him next week."

Sans sat down next to Frisk. "Feel better?"  
"Y-yeah. I do. It feels like, um. I guess like lancing a wound?"  
"You're gonna have to explain that one to me, kid."  
"Oh. Well, um, sometimes, when humans get hurt, the wound can get infected? I don't know if it's like that with monsters, since you're magical I think maybe it's different, but infection can spread, and it hurts. And uh, one way to deal with an infection is to, um, pierce it, so infected... _stuff_ can come out of it, and it hurts a lot to do it and afterwards, but then it's a _clean_ hurt."  
"...Huh. You ever have to do that?"  
"Yup!" Frisk held their arm out. "Just here. I uh, I got hurt, leaving the orph- the place they send unwanted kids. And there was no way to clean it, so it got infected. I hadta stab it with a stick and wash it every day in a stream, so it took ages to heal."  
Sans took their arm, looking at it. It was just a raised patch of tough skin, edges rough. He pointed to another one, neater and shinier. "How about this one?"  
"Burned myself cooking last winter! It was worth it," they confided.  
"Does it hurt?" he asked.  
"Nope! Not even to touch them." He lightly ran his finger over it. "Uh, I don't feel much through that one though," they added.  
"And how about here?" He pointed to the tip of one on their upper arm, sticking out from under their sleeve. They took their arm back and tugged their sleeve.  
"That's... a story for another time." They rubbed their arm, then forced themself to give him a smile. "Guess you don't have to worry about scars, huh?"  
"Nah. I mean- some monsters do, I guess. Not everything can be undone, you know?" Frisk thought about Undyne and her eyepatch. "But I've never heard of any monster having scars like you do."  
"Mm. I guess it's a human thing." Frisk pulled a face. "A permanent reminder."  
"I can think of worse things than a reminder of what you've overcome."  
Frisk looked at him, giving him a genuine smile. "That's true."

They remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Sans stood up, offering a hand. "Come on kid, we should get back. My brother will sulk if he doesn't get to spend enough time with you today."  
Frisk went to take his hand; but instead, Sans' eye glowed and he picked Frisk up. They let out a yelp of surprise, before giggling and getting their feet under them. Once he had put them down they bumped into him. "I told you to warn me!"  
"Where's the fun in that?"

They walked quietly to the stream; but when Sans spoke, he didn't mention getting back across. "Kid- you said you had to, uh, 'help us remember', when our souls had been... Absorbed or whatever."  
"Yeah?"  
Sans wasn't looking at Frisk; they cocked their head to one side, bewildered, as he didn't speak for a moment. Then, "What was it like?"  
"Uh... It was like, I could... sense whoever I was reaching out to? And... I could talk to them, or kind of hug them, but I don't know if it was just my intentions. I don't know much about magic. And, uh, I don't... think there's much research on world-destroying gods."  
"Good point. So you... reached out to me."  
"Yeah. I'm guessing none of you remembers that, at all."  
"I remember..." Sans paused, glancing at Frisk and then back across the stream. "Feelings, like a dream. I get that a lot- or I did, before we left."  
"Like what?"  
"Come on, kid. We've been out here long enough, I'm amazed Papyrus isn't looking for us." He looked at Frisk's pouting face. "'Another story for another time'," he quoted their words from earlier. Frisk smiled slightly, though still put out.  
"Fiiiiine," they said in an exaggerated drawl. Sans grinned wider.  
"Ready?"  
"Ready! But, um- can I face you when you do it?"

Sans shrugged and lifted them. They had a clear look at his face; his left eye, glowing as he concentrated. They were still so unused to seeing him do magic that they didn't pay attention to him putting them down, and stumbled, nearly falling over into the stream. Once they'd righted themself, he was already there, standing next to them. They were getting so used to _that_ that they didn't even comment, and they set off down the street together.

* * *

Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys hadn't settled on anything to watch. Papyrus was easily bored, and Undyne only tended to settle long enough to watch something if it was anime. Papyrus was, in fact, in his room- Undyne and Alphys were on the sofa, and sprang to opposite ends when the door opened, faces red, looking at Frisk to see if they'd noticed. They giggled at their mortified friends; Sans didn't say anything, although Alphys quickly looked away from his face.  
Papyrus thundered out of his room as soon as he heard Sans shut the door. "There you are! We were going to start searching for you!"  
"Those two weren't," Sans muttered, glancing at the sofa; Frisk tried to hide their snickering behind their hands.

"Oh no! Is my brother telling awful jokes again?!"  
"Nope," Frisk said, trying to straighten their face and save their friends from any more humiliation.  
"Good! Now that you are back, perhaps we can find a DVD to watch! I wanted to watch one with a very dashing skeleton, maybe you can persuade the others!"  
"No way, we should watch what I brought over! Tell him, punk!" Undyne bounded to her feet, thrusting a case at Frisk.  
"Um! I th-think that Frisk should _not_ watch that one!" Alphys leaned over the top of the sofa and tried to grab it from Undyne.  
"Whaaat!? Come on, this looks great!"  
"It- it says '16' on it!" Alphys whispered, her face flushed. "A-and it has- that was just for-"  
"Hey, Frisk, you can watch this, right?!"  
"I, uh, don't know exactly how old I am." Frisk fidgeted. "But I'm _definitely_ not sixteen! I'm... maybe eleven or twelve? I, um, lost track. But-" glancing at the rather busty girls posing on the cover- "I think that is... not for me."  
"See?!" Papyrus thrust his case at them. "We should watch this one instead!"

Frisk took it. "Oh! 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'? I've heard of this. It's old, but it's supposed to be pretty good. And, um, I think everyone can enjoy it, probably."  
"Oh, come onnnn," Undyne whined. Frisk gave Papyrus an overly sincere look, with only a quick sly sideways glance at Alphys.  
"You know, Papyrus, I actually don't think Undyne would be able to enjoy this. I don't think she's up for it."  
"What?!"  
"I don't think she has it in her to give it a chance. We'll just have to watch it without h-urk!"  
Undyne shoved Frisk aside, grabbing the case. "FINE! We'll watch your stupid skeleton movie! I'll give it a chance! I'll give it more chances than _anyone!_ "

* * *

Sans had magically dragged the old sofa from the far wall over to join their newer one, and Papyrus had happily seated himself in the middle of it. Frisk flopped down on one side of him, putting a cushion on his lap and resting their head on it; Sans sat on his other side, sprawled against his brother. Alphys and Undyne sat on the other one- although throughout the course of the movie, they slowly shifted position until they were cuddling together. Everyone got into the movie in the end- Undyne yelled louder than anyone at the villain's defeat, and cheered at the ending.

Afterwards, at Frisk's suggestion, they hooked up the computer to the television. (Upon reaching the surface, Alphys had, of course, been eager to ensure everyone had a decent PC, now that she had access to technology she could have only dreamed at before.) They downloaded more animated movies featuring non-human characters, and neither Papyrus nor Undyne ever claimed they were "kid's movies".

* * *

 _By far, the longest chapter so far. Thus ends the focus on Frisk's mental health! From here on there will be time jumps and character interactions. Hopefully less angst, more fluff._

 _I felt it was incredibly important to cover this stuff, though. Frisk needed to be in a place where they could get help dealing with their issues- no matter what your personal Frisk is like, I can't imagine them without issues. They've been through a LOT. They also needed to start getting to a place where they really felt able to open up to Sans- it's probably pretty obvious how important I think their friendship is, from both sides. I feel like Sans is the only person Frisk could ever talk to about some of this stuff- quite apart from anything else, everyone else would either be seriously negatively affected by the truth or would spill it to someone who would be._

 _I wasn't going to outright state what movie they were watching, but in the end it was absurd to dance around it. There's a few movies that I know of that would be perfect for the group to watch together, but The Nightmare Before Christmas is definitely on my list. What do you think?_

 _-Ren_


	13. Shopping

Things were improving. Day by day, week by week, things were improving. Hope filled the village; building work rapidly moved forwards, and many were finished. So used to building and excited at having so much space, the monsters pondered what to build next; and while many found themselves in other jobs, there were enough to keep the momentum going.  
There were a couple of small shops; but the monsters decided to start building closer to the nearest human town. Frisk had mentioned making it easier for humans to visit without disrupting the lives of the monsters- certainly the internet was active with discussion about them, and there was the possibility of earning money and improving relations- even if the risk of being gawked at was a realistic one. There was also talk of all sorts of additions- shops to sell human goods, places to go and do... things, although ideas on what those things should be were divided.

The schoolhouse was finished, as was Alphys' lab; and Frisk started attending at around the same time Alphys moved up to the surface. They were reluctant at first, but with a variety of monsters volunteering to teach, and more monster children than they'd ever seen together, it was much more interesting than learning at home. All the monster kids- no matter their ages- wanted to be Frisk's friend, and they found themself in the very odd and uncomfortable position of being popular amongst their peers. Stories of how Frisk had saved them all by being nice even when some monsters hated them went around the school- most of them were far removed from reality, and some of them confused Frisk as to how they even came to be dreamed up. But all the kids knew two things for sure- Frisk had saved them, and it was by being all the things their parents told _them_ to be- smart, and careful, and nice to everyone. Frisk decided that if they were going to be copied, _that_ wasn't unpleasant to live with.  
Their nightmares still came and went, and they were also having occasional panic attacks- ones which they'd experienced before, but had managed to hide. But they were getting better, more infrequent; and although they still often slept in the same room as someone, they didn't make a habit of sharing beds any more. It seemed to bother some of their friends- especially Alphys and Undyne, who tended to prefer to share their beds with _each other_ \- and although Frisk didn't entirely understand why it was an issue to their friends, they did know it made them feel like a child. Sans was the only real exception, and Frisk knew why, although they never discussed it- he often had nightmares too. He would make allusions to a time when Frisk wouldn't be happy to sleep in the same bed as him any more, although they didn't understand that either.

Before Frisk knew it, it had been six months. Winter was starting to settle in, and Toriel was starting to fuss over them going out barefoot; Papyrus was starting to get excited for the holidays, and Frisk felt an uncomfortable mixture of excitement and dread over the season. They were so used to feeling left out at Christmas- and from what they understood, although the monsters had some understanding of the various winter holidays, they didn't celebrate it quite the same. They'd decided to shift their own celebration to the winter season, partly to match up with the humans; and Frisk didn't quite know how to feel about it. Sometimes they wanted to pretend it wasn't happening at all, and sometimes they wanted to share in Papyrus' giddy joy and celebrate their first holiday with their family.

Something happened before that to put all thoughts of the holidays out of their mind. On the six month anniversary of their meeting Mayor Eastaugh, she wanted to visit their new village. Everyone was bustling to make the place presentable- although, Frisk thought, she would probably never like it, for the very reasons they loved it. The paths were lined with rough stones, with thick, luminescent moss growing along all the cracks and along the edges, courtesy of Asgore. He'd also managed to breed and plant glowing mushrooms along the main paths, placed at intervals not dissimilar to human streetlights.  
The houses themselves were varied. Many were made of stone that had been melted together by the efforts of the fire monsters; or stuck together with a slurry the Moldsmals had made out of rock and... their own bodies. Other monsters had burrowed underground, making careful dens, most too small for an adult human to visit; but still made to be lovely little homes... according to the tastes of the owners, at least.  
Even the trees were home to monsters, the tiniest living inside them; but a thick group of trees had been used to support the largest structure, and bridges of strong webbing and wood crossed out to other trees, some with built structures; some even had patient monsters encouraging the tree to grow into the shape of the framework. It was varied, and different, and so unlike anything in the human world.  
There wasn't even a road to it. The mayor would be able to come some of the way up the mountain by car- further if it was an off-road vehicle- but she would have to abandon it and walk through the woods, in her suit, with her delicate shoes and pristine hair. The monsters did the same without fuss, but Frisk had trouble imagining it of the mayor. The monsters managed to lay stones to make a path up to the village in a very short time, winding through the trees, but it wasn't enough for a vehicle.

Frisk expected to be asked to be in attendance, but they weren't pleased when they were proved right. They looked at themself in the mirror the afternoon before. Their hair had grown long enough to tie out of the way in a high ponytail, and Toriel had taken them to get it neatened and to get new clothes. There wasn't much that could be done with their messy fringe; they wanted to grow that out too, but it was still too short to tie back; in the end, the hairdresser had simply tidied it, so it would lie in front of their ears when their hair was tied up. When they first looked in the mirror they thought it made them look too much like a girl, though, so they'd chosen some very drab "boy's clothes" to balance it out. Toriel had sewn a few bright scarves from some light fabrics they'd chosen over the past few months; and if they felt like the outfit was too boyish instead, they intended to tie one around their waist.

Looking at themself in the mirror, they regretted their choice. They mostly had durable clothes in their wardrobe- many patched from being torn running through the woods, or worn out from exercising with Undyne, or stained from cooking with Papyrus. They didn't really have much that was "nice", other than the scarves Toriel had made for them and the top that Mettaton had given them- and that wasn't smart enough for the event or warm enough for the season. They were wearing the shirt and trousers, and they had a warm coat, but they looked so dull, so wrong; the shoes were put away, but they didn't want to think of them either. They sat down heavily. Why was it so hard to find clothes that were... _right_?

They had a sudden idea. It might be too late for the next day- but it didn't hurt to try! Frisk grabbed up their phone- a much newer one than the one Toriel had given them. They'd gathered their own collection of gold coins while travelling the Underground, and only selling one had given more money than they could have imagined. So far, a second-hand phone had been the only thing they'd bought themself- and Toriel had told them off even for that, saying that she could have bought it instead.  
They sent a quick message, complaining of how awful their clothes were. They got a reply almost immediately- of course Mettaton would understand. Frisk quickly changed, threw the clothes and scarves into their bag, and ran to Mettaton's house. He spent more time in human society than anyone else, often staying away, but he'd wanted to be home for the mayor's visit.

He ushered them in and took a look at the clothes. "Darling, you're right, these are _dire_! Why would you pick these out? Especially after getting such a _stunning_ hair cut! You should have asked me to come along."  
"I... thought my hair made me look too much like a girl. But, uh, these clothes make me... look too much like a boy, instead." Frisk flushed. "That probably sounds stupid."  
"Completely ridiculous, darling. What matters is that you look like _you_ , isn't it?"  
Frisk sat on the arm of the sofa; it was neat and clean, like most things in Mettaton's house, and it looked like it had barely been sat on. The only guests Frisk knew Mettaton had had were Napstablook and Shyren- neither of whom sat on anything- and Papyrus and Alphys. "I just... I don't want people to look at me and see a boy _or_ a girl."  
"Nobody here does, Frisk darling. They just see you."  
Frisk smiled earnestly at that. "Yeah, I know. But," their smile faded, "humans aren't like that. They like to put people in boxes, to understand them better. And, uh, some humans are fine with understanding when you don't fit their boxes. But some... Well, I want to look like I don't fit either box. If that makes any sense."  
"I think so, lovely, and it's okay. We can do something with these! Well... Maybe not with these, but we can get you something that's much more 'you' for tomorrow!"  
"For... tomorrow? Are you sure?"  
"We'll absolutely try, darling!"  
"I was originally going to wear a scarf, as a sash, but it just looked... Stupid."  
"That's a fabulous idea, we can definitely work with that. What colour is your scarf?"

Frisk pulled a drawstring bag out of their backpack. The scarves inside were made of a light, airy material, made for decoration rather than warmth. Mettaton had to have seen Frisk wearing one before; rather than risk ruining them while in the forest or rough-housing with Undyne or Papyrus, they tended to keep them for school days or special occasions, and Mettaton occasionally visited the schoolhouse.  
Mettaton deftly picked out a light blue one. "Ahh, yes, this is your favourite colour, yes?" He tilted his head so his hair swung, exposing both eyes and winked, leaving Frisk confused.  
"Uh, I like it? But I also like green- it reminds me of the forest. But it's a bit boring by itself. And red, and purple. And white. And- I guess I like lots of colours, but it depends what they're with."

Mettaton had lost his sly expression. "Well, these trousers are... They're boring, darling, but if you want to look neat by absurd human standards, then you might need boring trousers. Unless you want a skirt?" Frisk shook their head emphatically. "Didn't think so. And- oh. No, these shoes won't do at all, will they?" Frisk blushed, wondering why they ever picked them out. "No, no, these shoes aren't _you_ at all. Yes, we will need to go shopping!"  
"Oh- are you sure we have time?" Frisk looked at their phone. It was almost four.  
"Darling, don't you know? At this time of year, the humans go shopping- _mad_! The shops will be open late." He held the clothes out for Frisk to pack back up. "Go on Frisk, go and tell Toriel where we're going while I book a taxi. I'll treat you to dinner as well, for letting me dress you!"

Frisk didn't spend much time with Mettaton, on the whole. It wasn't so much the trying-to-kill-them thing; Asgore and Undyne had done the same, Alphys had definitely put them in harm's way, even Papyrus had tried to "capture" them. It was partly that they had so little in common, and partly because he was just so... _exhausting_ to be around, and Frisk never knew what to say. So Toriel was a bit surprised by their request- and a little upset when they explained why, since she had bought them the clothes. Frisk sighed, trying to explain when they didn't even know the words themself. In the end, Toriel just accepted that they had trouble finding clothes they liked, and gave them some spending money- along with telling them that she would help them with clothes in future, especially if they could draw ideas of what they wanted for her.

Mettaton fit in in the town better than most monsters. He was gaining quite a fan following online, but in his preferred form he looked more human than most other monsters. It wasn't long before he was recognised and they were approached; but he courteously waved his fans off, saying he was spending time with his "good friend". Frisk was grateful. They didn't like crowds, and the shopping centre was already busier than they liked.

Mettaton took them first into a shoe shop. They gravitated to the "girl's" shoes, which were more varied and interesting; eventually trying on a pair of boots that were more gender neutral than most, but had a row of buckles on the side which they liked. Mettaton insisted on buying them.

The top was harder. The boy's clothes were all boring (something Mettaton said he was determined to change about human fashion) and the girl's were either... too girly or too boring. They tried every shop with a child's section in the small shopping centre. Frisk was getting frustrated and irritable when Mettaton decided to take them out of the kid's shops and into a shop for petite women.  
That was better- stuff that was less girly, or cute, or frilly, or just over-the-top and more subdued without being boring. Frisk tried on a light purple top with flowing sleeves that they liked, but they turned to Mettaton, unsure. He looked at the top on Frisk for a moment, then told them to get it and take it back to one of their previous shops, excitement on his face.

In this other shop, Mettaton headed straight for the boy's smart section and picked something up.  
"The changing room, go darling, go!" he urged, holding it behind his back. Curious, Frisk went, heading into a cubicle.  
"Now, change into the top!" Frisk did so, and he pulled the curtain back. "Put this on over the top, Frisk. Let's see how this looks."  
It was a waistcoat. Surprised, Frisk pulled it on, doing the buttons up.  
"Ooh, yes, I was right, that's perfect! We'll get the matching trousers, and you can tie a scarf around your waist as a sash still- it's perfectly you, Frisk darling."

At Mettaton's insistence, Frisk tried on four different sizes of trousers- unlike Toriel, he didn't care about them having "room to grow", and instead was determined to find the pair which looked the best now. They were glad to finally get to sit down and eat, having finally managed to pull together a full outfit. They ordered a bean burger with a whole host of toppings and salads, and a pot of tea- the restaurant was selling the golden flower tea that Asgore loved, which amused Frisk. They weren't sure if it was for monsters, or for humans interested in the monsters, or just because it was good tea.  
"Well darling, aren't you glad we did this?" Frisk nodded.  
"I'm exhausted- but thank you. This is much better."  
"Oh, don't mention it- it'll be worth it to see you all dressed up tomorrow! Besides, it seems like we barely spend any time together nowadays."  
"Not since you were busy pretending to try to kill me," Frisk said, smiling.  
"We'll have to perform again, some time- that has aged terribly poorly. Nobody wants to see monsters _attacking_ humans, you know. Now, if we could have a show based around you smooching someone..."  
"W-what!" Frisk stared at Mettaton, shocked, feeling a flush cover their face.  
"Oh, come now darling, there must be a monster or two you'd fancy smooching?"  
"No! Gah- why would you _think_ that?!"  
"Oh? Well, I'm sure we can find plenty of humans who want to smooch _some_ monster or other." Mettaton gave them a wink and Frisk groaned.

Once they'd finished eating, Frisk was ready to go home; but Mettaton insisted they stop by one last shop- a sewing store, with fabrics and buttons. He helped Frisk pick out some much more interesting buttons- and then, finally, it was time to go home.  
Frisk thanked him for everything before they headed home; Mettaton waved it off, saying it would all be worth it tomorrow. They headed in and gave Toriel the clothes to look over.

"Oh! My dear child, these are lovely. I would not have chosen these- but I can see why you did, I think they will all go together very well." She was about to say something else when she saw Frisk's face. "Ah- I would ask to see you in them, but you look exhausted, dear one. Perhaps you should take a nice bath and have an early night."  
"That... sounds like a great idea, thanks mum. We got some buttons as well, but, um, I'll try on the top- it might need taking in a little bit in the chest, if you don't mind doing it?"  
They quickly pulled their jumper and t-shirt off, wiggling into the top. It was the smallest size that had been in the shop, but it was still a little loose- they liked that, but it was designed for people with more in the chest area than they hoped to ever have.  
"Oh, yes, I see." She pinched the fabric under their underarms, looking to see how much it needed to go in by. "Don't worry Frisk, these will all be hung up and ready for you tomorrow. I shall make them smell nice for you, as well."  
"Cinnamon sticks?" Frisk asked eagerly. Toriel laughed.  
"Very well, my dear. I shall wrap some cinnamon sticks for the pockets. Now, off you go- go and enjoy your bath."

* * *

 _I'm not a fan of this chapter- partly, I think, because I'm not a fan of Mettaton! But I am glad to have been able to show Frisk's gender issues, especially in a primarily binary society._

 _I haven't discussed it within the story, but I consider them as being in a fictional island country that is generally very liberal, and legally has an option to be recognised as "third gender", or genderless. However, it's not perfect! Perhaps Frisk would have more options if they went to a larger city._

 _-Ren_


	14. Past, Passed

The day of the mayor's visit was mild; cloud had covered the sky that night, but the sun started to burst through more and more as it crept past the horizon. Frisk spent more time looking out the window than eating their breakfast, despite Toriel's attempts to get them to eat up. She cajoled them into having a little, then accepted their complaints of not being hungry and let them go to shower and dress.  
Frisk spent longer than usual getting ready. Their clothes hung in front of the fire, getting nice and warm, and Toriel brought them through along with a warm towel before Frisk needed them. The hot water piping for the houses wove from Hotland through the town, warming the town so winter didn't really feel real here. Some monsters had moved further up the mountain, to be where it was naturally cooler. They wished they could stay with the hot water beating on their face and coursing down their body all day, instead of attending the visit; but eventually they made themself get out.

With the sun peering through, Frisk decided they didn't need a coat. They put on their new clothes, tying their hair back and brushing out the shorter sections that had been their fringe. It had a habit of flopping into their face unless they routinely tucked it behind their ears, but it would have to do. Their clothes were great, though. Frisk tied their purple scarf around their waist; it was almost like a darker version of the colour of their top, and the waistcoat buttons were silver in colour and looked much more interesting. Frisk grinned; it wasn't often they were happy with how they looked, but today, they were.  
They ran back into the living room. "How do I look, mum?" They held their arms up and whirled around.  
"Very smart, my dear- your outfit looks very nice together! I shall have to thank your friend for it." Mettaton was still very much Frisk's friend, rather than Toriel's; she didn't seem to fully approve of the robot, but accepted that he was Frisk's friend without comment.  
"Oh, but come here- let me retie that for you." Frisk stayed still, arms up, while Toriel carefully eased out their clumsy knot. "Would you like a bow?"  
"No, thank you."  
"Okay." She tied it deftly, her large furred hands not impeding her- although the hug she gave Frisk once she had finished did leave several starkly visible white hairs on their waistcoat and trousers. They didn't mind; their pleasure at their appearance had swiftly fallen away to be replaced once more with nerves.

It was nearly time. More monsters were milling around than Frisk had seen together since building works had slowed; but Asgore still stood above any of them, and his horns made him even more visible. Frisk worked their way through the crowd and noted the anxiety on his face, trying to force their own to one side to avoid making him feel worse. They didn't really succeed- but they hoped it wouldn't show.  
"Hey!" They tugged on his cloak, and he looked down and beamed.  
"Howdy, Frisk!" He placed his large hands on their head as they hugged him around the waist. "Are you ready for this?"  
"No." Frisk buried their face in his stomach and felt him chuckle.  
"No, neither am I. But we do need to be jolly good neighbours, yes? After all, we need to show the humans we can all be pals together."  
"Yeah." Frisk pulled back.  
"Ah- and here comes Undyne." Asgore waved to her- completely unnecessary, as visible as he was, but she headed over, grinning.  
"Hey, Asgore, Frisk! You ready for this?!"  
"No," Asgore and Frisk replied in unison. Undyne laughed.  
"I am! Man, anything happens and I'll get to see if all humans are as durable as this punk!" She nudged Frisk, who didn't smile.  
"Please- Undyne, don't, uh, be too quick to get physical?"  
"Aww, don't worry Frisk, I've promised to be on my _best behaviour_." She pulled a face, showing her thoughts on the matter, but Frisk knew she was glad to be given the role of being a bodyguard. She was hiding it well but they knew she had her own worries about the visit. Papyrus was nowhere to be seen- they had asked him, too, to be a "royal guard" for the day, and outlined his duties for him. He had been thrilled.

They mingled for a little while. Alphys came out, looking awkward and anxious, and quietly asked Frisk if they really, _really_ needed her. The moment they said she would probably be okay to go back to her lab she scuttled off, looking immensely relieved.  
Sans had set up a "hot dog" stand, looking just like it used to- in fact, it even had snow on the roof. Frisk headed over.  
"Hey, Frisk, no stacking dogs on your head today." He winked. "Toriel's orders."  
"She did not tell you that." Frisk leaned over to look behind the stand. "So how much are you charging for your bits of plant in buns?"  
"On the house for you, kid." He reached up anyway and Frisk rolled their eyes. "Well, no. It's on you."  
They started giggling; the stupid and familiar joke, combined with the memories of Sans being there no matter where they went in the Underground suddenly broke their nerves. They grabbed the hot dog off their head and took a huge bite.  
"Mmf." They swallowed as best they could, given how dry it was. "Needs... mustard."  
"Well, buddy, I- oh, heyyy, Tori!"

Frisk glanced behind them; there she was, arms folded, looking disapproving. "Frisk," she said sternly, "I believed you when you said you didn't have an appetite. And now here you are eating... What _are_ you eating?"  
"I didn't have an appetite! But, um, Sans made me feel better, so I'm trying to eat. I would've preferred a hot breakfast, but- try it." Frisk held it out.  
Toriel took a small bite. She looked at Frisk, then back at Sans; and, without a word, turned and walked away. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Before Frisk could take another bite, Papyrus came pounding up into the village. "Attention! I, Papyrus, have something to announce!" he said, loudly enough to carry over the chatter. Nerves made Frisk's stomach drop.  
"Oh... Oh, okay, this is it, isn't it? This is it, I- um. Sans, can you...?" They held the hot dog out and he took it.  
"Go get 'em, Frisk." He winked and they forced a faint smile. He leaned back and started eating the hot dog as they rejoined Asgore and headed down the path with him and Undyne.

* * *

The mayor was much more practically dressed than Frisk had expected; in what looked like riding boots, with her hair tied back, she actually looked somewhat ready for a walk in the woods. Today she seemed to have steeled herself; she didn't flinch during introductions- despite Undyne's toothy leer. Her own guards walked a little way back from them; Frisk had asked Papyrus to "patrol the perimeter" and keep an eye on things, which he took to with gusto. Asgore took them into the village, proudly showing her what they had built- pointing out the schoolhouse, and Alphys' lab, just visible through the trees. She seemed... more impressed than Frisk had expected; although how much of it was genuine, and how much was for politeness, they couldn't say.  
They were just starting to wonder if they could sneak off and talk to the monsters- several of them had waved or otherwise gestured a greeting, and Mettaton had spotted Frisk and given them two thumbs up. Sans was still at his stand and Toriel had joined him, but every time Frisk glanced over, they were watching their group instead of talking. But just as they tried to think up an excuse to slip off, the mayor spoke up.

"I must thank you for your hospitality, your majesty- but before I can join you for tea, I must speak with your ambassador." It was very smoothly said, giving nothing away. Frisk's eyes widened and they looked desperately around at the monsters; both Toriel and Sans noticed, and while his only reaction was to narrow his eyes, hers was to start to head over.  
It was no use, though. Asgore was oblivious to Frisk's dislike of the idea. "Yes, of course, I understand." He nodded, placing his hand on their shoulder. They looked up, hiding their concern, determined not to let him down. "I am sure your house would be fine, Frisk?"

They nodded and turned, leading the way. Their legs felt strange and stiff, but they forced themself to raise their head, to look strong, to not show weakness. They knew there were people who would latch onto any weakness you showed. They'd known too many of them.  
Toriel made it through the crowd as they neared the house. "Frisk!" she called out. They didn't want to look at her, it was easier to pretend everything was fine if they didn't. But they turned anyway.  
"Frisk, is everything okay? What is going on?"  
"The mayor just wanted to speak to me," Frisk said. Toriel looked at the mayor; to Undyne, to Asgore- both of whom had followed them over- then back to Frisk.  
"Well... We will be right outside, okay, Frisk?" They nodded; hiding their relief, their fear, pushing down their rising panic. They entered the house and led the mayor into the dining room.

"Ah... Thank you, Frisk." The mayor sat herself in the chair Frisk pulled out for her; they sat at the opposite end of the table, trying to bury their fear. Nothing was going to happen. She wasn't in a position of authority over _them_. It was going to be fine.  
"I'm sorry for pulling you away like this, but talking to you was the reason I came here today." She smiled and folded her hands on the table.  
Frisk was stunned. "W-what? I... I don't understand."  
"I'm going to be frank with you. Having a human child living with monsters... Well, it sets a dangerous precedence. We needed to know where you should have been."  
"What?" Frisk felt like they'd been doused in cold water. She wanted to send them back. Take them away from Toriel and Asgore, away from Sans and Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys. From here. From everyone. For a moment, fear tried to take over- then determination set in, and they stood up.  
" _This_ is where I should be."

"Well... I did look for records of missing children, who matched your description, and it turns out you were from the Brackfell orphanage, weren't you? There would be paperwork, but yes, you could stay-"  
"You're giving me _permission_?" Frisk spoke coldly. "You think _you're_ giving me _permission_?"  
"Please, calm down." Appearing unruffled, Eastaugh pulled some papers out of her pocket and went through them. "We have your name on records- we may be able to find your family, from this, if you wish-"  
"I've _found_ my family. They're _here_."  
"You know what I mean. Your real family. Your real name is Danielle Ch-"  
" _My name_ is Frisk Dreemurr!" Their voice was loud; not quite a shout, it reverberated with a hint of the adult they were going to become, full of heat and determination. "I belong _here_ , with my family! _You will never make me go back_!"

The front door slammed open, and Asgore stepped in. With his usual kindness and patience it was hard to imagine him angry; but he was now, cold fury lining his face and magic flickering about his person. He seemed to take up the entire room.  
"I am afraid it is time for you to leave," he said to the mayor; quiet, and calm, but cold and utterly implacable. The mayor rose immediately.  
Toriel pushed past Asgore and headed straight over to Frisk; but they didn't move, still standing, still staring at the mayor. She turned before she passed Asgore.  
"I'm sorry, Frisk," she said. "Some things were... out of my hands. I never wanted to upset any of you."

As soon as she left, Frisk's mature outer shell crumpled and they started to shake. The fear rose back up, real and vibrant, as they remembered what she had said... What she had called them...  
Toriel held them in her arms; and as they wrapped their arms around her neck, they felt one hand be gently taken and held. They opened their eyes to see Asgore looking at them, compassion and caring in his face. He had come for them; before even Toriel, before anyone, he had been there; angry for them, ready to defend them.  
They had said they had found their family.

They gripped his hand tightly, feeling Toriel's arms around them.

They had been right.

* * *

 _A little clarification- my version of Frisk is intersex. They were given a female name at birth, because their parents wanted their genitalia to be "corrected" (in their eyes) and such "correction" is typically done to make the genitalia appear to be fully female. However, in this country, cosmetic genital surgery is illegal before an age where the child can fully understand and consent to the procedure (I have decided that age is fourteen). This is the reason Frisk was given up for adoption and eventually found themself in an orphanage._

 _This almost certainly won't be explored in-story, for various reasons. But I thought it was useful to know._

 _-Ren_


	15. Video Games

"Alphys!" Frisk burst into the laboratory; the scientist had been expecting her friend, but not for them to arrive in this manner, with a full bag and a lot of enthusiasm.  
The lab was as much Alphys' home as it was a lab, as her older one had been; the entryway, warm and homey, had two main doors. One led into the lab area- which Frisk avoided, having had enough of laboratories- and the other into an apartment, which had become almost as much Undyne's as Alphys'. There was a decent sized living room, a kitchen (with plenty of fire safety measures) and a fairly large bedroom and bathroom. Alphys was in the living room, and Frisk joined her, carefully placing their bag next to the sofa.

"Guess what I got!" The human was grinning; an infectious grin that Alphys suddenly mirrored, despite not knowing what was going on.  
"Um... Did you... Finally get a puppy?"  
Frisk laughed. "Nooo- I think, uh, that'd be weird, living here. With, you know, the dog monsters? And I think Papyrus would never come over again." They pouted. "Boo. Maybe one day. But no!" They grinned again, bouncing. "This- well, I'll show you!"

They opened the bag and poured out the contents. A few video game controllers and a load of video game cases slid out.  
"Now we can play together, instead of taking it in turns! And Toriel got me a console so I can play some games at home, and I got loads of new ones... Some of them, um, I don't know if they're any good. But a lot of them we can play together, and-" they were collecting some together, "-some are ones for me. There's some really interesting looking ones that I read about as well, but they're all rated for... um, people older than me. So Toriel won't let me get them." They pulled a face; but this inconvenience didn't hold them back from their excitement; which rubbed off onto Alphys.

"Okay! What are we playing first?"  
"Well, I got... This!" They grabbed a case out of the pile. Most of the games they played together were old ones; Alphys had modified her computer to be able to read and handle games that weren't supposed to be on the PC and route them through her TV. It resulted in her having a huge computer case just for gaming, but to her, that was no big deal. And Frisk was fascinated by the games- although she tried to hide the more... _adult_ ones that she collected from them.  
This game was a newer game from a series they'd played before. "It has a story mode," Frisk said, "where you have to fight together- and you have to use lots of different characters, and I thought it would be perfect to do with you!"

When Frisk was happy- truly happy- it was infectious. She grinned at the child's expression, and busied herself with sorting out the controllers and loading the game while Frisk got drinks and snacks. They'd spent enough time over here to be completely at ease helping themself to the kitchen, and they came back with two cups of fruit juice and a bag of popcorn. Frisk always tried to steer her away from her least healthy choices.

Alphys joined them on the sofa; and they played the first round, laughing at themselves and each other as they tried to learn to play the game the hard way- and failed, losing all their lives. Frisk was still giggling when Alphys turned to them during the reload  
"H-hey, Frisk? Can I ask you something? Do you, um... _like_ anyone?"  
"Huh?" Frisk stared at her. "Mettaton asked me that a few days ago! Kind of. In the way he has." They pulled a face.  
"W-well, I was, just, wondering." Alphys looked extremely awkward. "I mean, it seems like you spend a lot of time with, with Sans..."  
"Wha- you think I like Sans? Like you and Undyne like each other? No! Ack, no, why?! I don't like anyone like you like Undyne! One day I'm- I'm gonna friend-marry all of you and then nobody can ask me that again." They pouted.

Despite her clear discomfort, Alphys let out a high-pitched giggle. "'Friend-marry'?"  
"I'll make it a thing." Frisk crossed their arms and slumped down in the sofa. "Then everyone can know that I can spend the rest of my life with my friends without, you know... _smooching._ "  
"O-okay! Okay. I got it. You don't want to- to smooch Sans. I get it. We can go back to playing, it's fine." Alphys quickly pressed start.  
"I don't want to smooch _anyone_ , Alphys," Frisk said as the game started. "Is that... normal? Is it okay?"

She paused the game and turned to Frisk. "Um, it's f-fine? I guess? I mean... I've... always liked people, but... if you never do, that's fine too! As long as you're happy and we're friends."  
"Well." Frisk thought. "I might like someone. One day. I don't know. But even if I do- if I can have my friends in my life forever, then I think liking someone- like that- it doesn't seem to matter if like them if I can be friends with them anyway."  
There was an awkward pause before Frisk spoke again. "Wh-why do people think I, um... I like Sans?"  
"O-oh! Well, you... spend a lot of time with him? And in a group you always like to be near him? So I guess people thought that maybe- I guess it was stupid to think it..."  
"He makes me feel safe," Frisk said. "And, uh, I guess..." They paused, wondering how much to say. "I feel like he's not been happy much. And I want to help him be happy. Does that make sense?"  
"It- yeah. Yeah, it does."

The topic was dropped, and they kept playing; gradually getting better, Alphys consulting the internet occasionally on how to play. It involved a fair amount of helping each other out, and between their laughter and yells of "watch out!" and "over there!" they didn't notice Undyne come in and watch from behind the sofa.  
She waited for them to finish the stage they were on before leaning over the back of the sofa. Frisk let out a noise of surprise, but Alphys grinned.  
"Hey nerds!" She reached over to give Alphys a one-arm hug; but was surprised by Frisk turning around and putting their arms up. "What, you want one too, punk? Eurrrgh, fine! But you're still doing those laps at school tomorrow!" She gave them a quick hug too, before jumping over the sofa and landing between them.  
"So, what, you can play together now? Am I ever going to get the TV back?"  
"You can play if you like." Frisk offered her their controller, but she laughed and shook her head. "No way, you two stay here and nerd it up. You stayin' for dinner?"  
"If- if that's okay."

Frisk texted Toriel while Undyne got up and went over the the kitchen, starting to cook. She was learning to do so with less fury and overblown passion- although the occasional yell or grunt came from the kitchen. It was anyone's guess as to how edible the food would be when it was finished.  
"Hey, guess what," Frisk said, once they'd put their phone down. "I think m- Toriel wanted me out of the way, with these. And Asgore had come over! It was the first time I've seen them talk without, you know- her looking all angry."  
Alphys gasped. "Do you think-?"  
"N-not yet! But, um, I hope she's going to forgive him. Maybe. I hope."

They continued playing games until Undyne finished making dinner- which was good, if a bit too spicy for Frisk's liking. Undyne had discovered chilli peppers, ginger and dried spices and was as enthusiastic with them as with everything she did. When they headed home, they were beaming. They'd only been able to play one game together, but Frisk had a console at home as well now- even if it was an old one. They really liked video games, and playing the games together was way better than taking it in turns, they decided. Maybe also better than playing alone- although they'd have to test that to be sure!

* * *

 _It's about time we had some angst-free fluff! I see video games as being a big thing that Alphy and Frisk share, so here we go. Just some gaming time together._

 _Given how close Frisk and Sans are, and Frisk's age, it's likely their friends would start having some raised eyebrows, thinking they have a child's crush. I think they're just too busy being happy about having friends who are like family to think further than that for now._

 _-Ren_


	16. Forgiveness

"You are home earlier than I expected!" Toriel greeted Frisk. They were sniffing the air. "I did not know if you would eat much, so I decided to make some pie. It is a new recipe- apple and pear."  
"That sounds good." Frisk peeked up at it, sat cooling on the stove top. "I'm not that hungry, but is it okay for me to try a little bit?"  
"Of course it is! Go and sit down, and I will bring you a slice, and some tea."  
"Just a little slice please," Frisk said, leaving the room. One of their many sketchbooks was on the table- one of the less personal ones, rather than a journal sketchbook. They grabbed it and pulled a pencil out of their pocket, and flipped to an empty page.

The mayor's visit had been several days ago, but they hadn't really spoken to anyone about it. They felt a lot better for it- stronger, like they'd overcome one of Undyne's workouts. It was still hard to think about it- the things that had been said- but it felt like they'd closed a chapter of their life with what happened.  
They hadn't seen their friends since then, though. Obviously Alphys and Undyne today- and Mettaton had sent them a message saying that they'd looked great. But of Papyrus and Sans, there had been nothing.  
Of all their friends, when they didn't get to see them, they were the two that Frisk missed most. Papyrus' relentless enthusiasm and deep love for everyone always made Frisk feel better about themself, and they would never forget what he had said when Flowey had attacked them all, and he had defended them, despite being bound. _"Just do what I would do... Believe in you!"_

But if they were honest to themself, they missed Sans the most. They just put it down to him being their best friend- and a secret part of themself wanted desperately to believe that he saw them the same, despite his being known by just about everyone. With him, they could just... be. Everyone else had their own ideas and perceptions on who Frisk was; and they suspected he had started out kind of the same, from things he had said. But while the others still projected onto Frisk, he didn't.  
It didn't bother them too much, what their loved ones wanted them to be. Toriel and Asgore wanted a child to love; Papyrus wanted a friend who loved the same things he did. Undyne saw someone who always did the right thing and never, ever gave up; and Alphys saw unceasing support. And those were all good things, but Sans just saw them, as they were; their joys and sadness, their triumphs and their terrors.  
Frisk stared at their sketch. No wonder people thought they had romantic feelings for him. Here they were, drawing him; even if it was because they were thinking of him, it didn't exactly help go against their theories.

Toriel came in and Frisk hurriedly shut the sketchbook and pushed it away, taking the plate held out to them. She returned with a cup of tea for them both and sat with them.  
Frisk poked at the pie. Their appetite had disappeared. Was it right? How would they even know? They loved all of their friends, and Toriel, and Asgore. Was it different?  
"What is wrong, dear one?" Toriel's voice brought them out of their reverie.  
"Oh..." Frisk sighed. Maybe she could help. "Mettaton and Alphys, um... think I like Sans. _Like_ like."  
Toriel didn't look phased. "Well, you do seem fond of him."  
"I'm fond of all my friends!" Frisk jabbed at the pie with their fork. "How... How do you even know if you like someone like that, instead of as a friend?"  
She looked very uncomfortable. "If you need to ask, you probably do not need to worry about it, dear. I think, when you feel that way, you will not be able to mistake it for anything else."  
Frisk pulled a face. "Thanks, mum," they muttered, finally taking a mouthful of pie. It was good, sweet with a hint of spice, but they still didn't have much appetite. Her words had helped- but only a little.

"This really bothers you, does it not, my dear one," she said, softly. "Oh, I wish I knew how to explain it to you. When you want to be in a relationship with someone, it usually does involve them being your friend as well. But... There are definitely parts of your relationship which would not work with your platonic friends. Does that help any?"  
Frisk thought as they chewed and swallowed their next mouthful of pie. "I think so."  
"Do not worry, Frisk. I think, when you feel that way about someone, you will not be able to mistake it for anything else."  
Frisk frowned as they took a sip of their tea. "Why don't you love Asgore any more?"

The range of emotions that ran over Toriel's face in the space of a few seconds were informative alone, and Frisk suspected they shouldn't have asked that particular question.  
"He did terrible things, Frisk," she said in the end, her face carefully arranged to try to hide whatever the resulting feeling was. "Some things are so bad you cannot love the other person any more."  
They frowned, dubious, remembering Asriel. Toriel saw, although she couldn't guess their thoughts; and when she spoke it was more heated.  
"He was going to _kill you_ , my child! Sometimes I fear you do not remember that!"

"I remember." They looked her in the eyes. "I won't ever forget that. But... So was Undyne, and Mettaton. You- you were going to lock me up in the ruins, so I could never escape, even though I wanted to be free." Her eyes widened in shock; but Frisk kept talking. "Alphys lied to me and put me in more danger because of it, and Papyrus was going to capture me and send me to the capital. But I don't think doing a bad thing- even doing a really, really bad thing- makes you a bad person, not if you can regret it, not if you can want things to be better." They remembered Asriel, and his guilt and his grief; and Flowey, robbed of that. "I don't want to ever hate someone if they're trying to be a better person," they said.  
Toriel was still staring at them, shock in her eyes; her mouth open but no words coming out. Frisk felt _awful_. They just wanted to be able to see past what had been done, to see that everyone could be better, that they were trying to do the right thing- even if it looked bad to everyone else. They didn't want her to hate anyone. It was a stupid question, and they cursed their curiosity.

They got up and walked around the table, wrapping their arms around her neck and hugging her. There was a long pause.  
"Do you really..." Her voice was just a whisper. "Do you truly feel that was what I was doing?"  
"I feel like... You did something that maybe wasn't the right thing, even though you were trying to do what was best. And I love you." Finally her arms came up and wrapped around them.  
"I am so sorry, my dear, sweet child, I am so sorry..."  
"Me too. I- I wasn't trying to make you feel awful, mum." At the word, she hugged them tighter. "I just... I don't want you to hate Asgore. I want him in my life. And I want you to be okay with that, even if you never ever like him again. B-but... I don't want you to hate anyone else for what they did, either, if they're trying to be better."  
Toriel's voice was muffled by Frisk's shoulder. "You mean me."  
"Um. Partly?"  
"You are... not as innocent as I first believed you to be, but you are far, far sweeter. Oh, my dear one." She pulled back, wiping at her eyes; Frisk was horrified.  
"Oh, no no, I didn't want you to cry..." They reached for her hands, pulling them away from her eyes. She smiled at them.  
"It is okay. You were right- you are so much wiser than we sometimes give you credit for. Forgiveness... It is hard, especially if you hold on to your bitterness for so long." She looked away. "For so long, I did not try hard enough. I thought I could keep you safe by never letting you out of the ruins, I finally wanted to try. All the others..." She lapsed into memories for a moment, before bringing her eyes back to Frisk's. She squeezed their hands. "You are right. Forgiveness, and trying to be better." She leaned forwards and kissed them on the top of the head. "What would we do without you? My sweet Frisk. Ah, but... But it is getting late. You should go to your room."

Frisk glanced at the clock and was about to protest- but glancing back at Toriel's face changed their mind. They gave her a goodnight hug and a kiss, and went up to their room.

Toriel stayed up very late, that night. She had a lot to think about.

* * *

 _And from fluff to more angst... I hated doing this to Toriel, but it felt like something that needed to be said sooner or later. And if it was said later, it would probably be said out of frustration, which would be more damaging.  
_ _I feel like Frisk's biggest fear is being trapped- and that is why they needed to try to escape the Underground, despite everything they had down there. And it's why they needed to leave the ruins. I knew from the beginning that a conversation like this needed to happen, for both Frisk and Toriel to really be able to move forwards._

 _It still felt horrible to write. Sorry, Toriel._

 _-Ren_


	17. Sans' Nightmares

Toriel seemed herself the next day; the day after, Papyrus met them from school. He had missed them, he said, which made Frisk's chest ache and their smile grow. He had plenty of ingredients, and a new recipe, and of course, Frisk needed to learn to cook it alongside him. Frisk gladly agreed, and Toriel seemed happy to see them seeing their friends again- although they didn't miss the sideways glance she gave Papyrus, a new expression after their discussion.  
They half-walked, half-jogged alongside Papyrus, who was unable to curb his energy; upon realising Frisk was having trouble he insisted on giving them a piggy back the rest of the way, even though his house was in sight. He didn't put them down until he got in, where he put them down on the sofa while they laughed.

Once their giggles were under control, they joined him in the kitchen. The "new" recipe was the one Frisk had left for him before; a spiced dish made from coconut milk. Asgore helped to keep both this house and Toriel's stocked with herbs and spices, as a favour to Frisk, and it seemed that Papyrus had managed to get all of the other ingredients together. It was different to anything they'd made before, but they got stuck in; Frisk carefully measuring spices, and Papyrus enthusiastically butchering garlic, tomatoes, and onion.  
Once the sauce was on the stove, it filled the house with the delicious smell; warm, slightly spicy, and heady. Frisk couldn't get enough of breathing it in.  
"This might be the best thing we've made yet!"  
"We haven't finished making it yet! Don't get distracted! We much focus on every bit of this if it's going to be worthy of being called, 'food made by the great Papyrus and his super cool friend Frisk'!"  
They nodded solemnly. "Of course. Let's see..."

They cooked rice, added veg, stirred and tasted. Frisk grinned at the skeleton; he grinned back.  
The door slammed open; Undyne burst in. "Hey, nerds!" she crowed, Alphys coming in behind her.  
"Oh- that smells... That smells really good. Is that... curry?"  
"No! It is 'food made by the great Papyrus and his super cool friend Frisk'! With lots of spices! Nyeh heh heh!"  
"Also known as curry," Sans said. Frisk whirled around; they hadn't heard him come in, but there he was, in time for dinner. They stared at him for a moment, remembering all the discussions about romantic feelings. But they didn't feel any different. They were happy to see him, to be with him, and that was all. Everyone else had just made it more complicated, they told themself, that was all and there was nothing to worry about; and Frisk put it to one side as they helped Papyrus dish up.

Even though it wasn't perfect, it was generally agreed to be a success, and while Papyrus' pride was utterly impossible to miss, Frisk felt pleased with themself too. Afterwards, they sat around and watched one of Mettaton's shows- Undyne's complaints milder than usual, as Napstablook was in this one. Everyone knew she had a soft spot for the little ghost.  
Half way through the show, Frisk escaped upstairs to Papyrus' bedroom. It was much as it had been in Snowdin, now- well-decorated and full of things that Papyrus liked. Sans had always made sure Papyrus had good things. They pulled their books out of their bag and tried to get some homework done, despite the noise from the others downstairs.

They discovered, once they decided they were done working for the evening, that Alphys and Undyne were waiting to say goodbye before they left. Papyrus pouted about how they seemed to leave early every time they came over.  
"Perhaps coming to the surface didn't agree with them! They should take better care of themselves! They are starting to sleep even more than Sans!"  
"Hey, bro, I've been sleeping less recently," Sans said idly, from where he had sunk into the sofa.  
"You are still lazy! Although you are less lazy. That must be all the different food I am making for you! I will have to make more for the others as well!"  
Sans chuckled. "Whatever you say, bro. You up for watching a movie, kiddo?"  
"Yes!" Papyrus proclaimed. "I know what we should watch!"  
Papyrus had developed a strong fondness for "the movie with the fetching skeleton man"- so much so, that all his friends now knew to immediately suggest something else when the topic of movies came up. He liked a lot of animated films which he was convinced were absolutely not children's movies.  
"Hey, I found another movie, which sort of has skeletons," Frisk said. "It's supposed to be really good!" They pulled a USB stick out of their pocket, which Papyrus reluctantly plugged into the television. Frisk quickly found it on the screen.  
"Very well, human, we will watch your movie!"

Papyrus sat in the middle; Sans and Frisk sat on either side, leaning against him. Although he occasionally complained about people's posture, he didn't complain about slumping against him, and simply enjoyed the closeness.  
The movie was set up like a kid's version of a typical monster movie- with Papyrus complaining that why didn't the humans just _talk_ to the monsters- but Frisk had done their research, and when the twists came to show how it all fit together, it turned out to be as good as they'd heard. Papyrus and Frisk both tried to hide their tears at the end- he with less success than them.  
"That was good, Frisk! It was perhaps- maybe- _almost_ as good as my favourite film!"  
"Oh good," yawned Sans. "Maybe you'll watch this one instead sometimes."  
"Sometimes I will, yes! Oh-" he saw Frisk yawned as well- "Dr. Alphys told me that humans need to sleep lots to stay strong. So if you are tired now, you must sleep!"  
Frisk giggled and nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."  
"Same here." Sans pulled himself up. "You coming up, kid?"

He always asked; always gave Frisk a chance to say no, but before today, they'd never taken it. At first they asked if he was sure, was it okay, even as they were terrified of facing their nightmares alone; but more recently it was just a given. But, remembering what Mettaton and Alphys had assumed, Frisk felt their face warm.  
"I'll just... stay down here. Tonight. I think," they mumbled. Sans gave them a concerned look; but Papyrus bounced to his feet.  
"I shall fetch you pillows! And blankets!" He sprinted up the stairs, letting out a "nyeh heh heh" as he went. Sans shrugged.  
"Alright Frisk, you know where I am if the nightmares get bad. G'night."

Frisk had listened to the rumble of San's warm, gentle voice reading Papyrus to sleep after they'd received their blankets. Papyrus never did anything by halves, and they had enough to make themself a nest on the larger of the two sofas. Still, it was lonely. They didn't say anything as Sans left Papyrus' room; they heard him pause at the top of the stairs, before continuing to his own room. He'd made it clear this would have to happen sooner or later; maybe he knew about the stupid assumptions everyone would make. Maybe he thought that Toriel and Asgore would believe them, would take it a step further, would approach him about it. Maybe he thought he'd get into trouble. Was that what he had meant when he talked about how Frisk would stop sharing his bed, sooner or later? Could he get into trouble?  
It took a long time for them to get to sleep, despite being tired. And the nightmares were impatient for making them wait.

Sans had been on their mind when they finally drifted off; it was only natural that he was here, dragged up by their mind. It started slowly- he was in bed, having nightmares, bad ones. Frisk tried to reach him, but the more they tried, the further he got- until suddenly, he was wrapped up in vines, him and everyone else, and Frisk was broken and bloody and nearly beaten, and everyone was trying to save them, but instead they all died, _because_ of them, and Sans was last, his sockets dark, his grin a horrifying rictus until he exploded into dust, nothingness, gone; and a high-pitched giggle mocked Frisk as they screamed for him and woke.  
They shivered. The curtains weren't drawn and they headed to the window; the moon was high, visible through the treetops, shining silver on the carpet. How long had they been asleep? It barely felt like they had slept at all. They rubbed their eyes and plodded upstairs, the nightmare fading as they went to the bathroom; until, when they turned out the light, all that was vivid and fresh was the fear. That lasted longer than the memories most nights.

They headed over to Sans' door. They just wanted him right now, to just be there, to know that he wasn't going anywhere. It was selfish. They paused, and turned away, before stopping to listen.  
A small noise, but one Frisk knew from experience. He wasn't having a peaceful night either. Thoughts of what to do, what they should do or want they wanted fled their mind; all that mattered was that he was hurting, and they could help. They crept in, closing the door behind them, and knelt next to his bed while their eyes adjusted.  
One hand was hanging off the edge of his bed; Frisk was more used to comforting him when they were in the bed, but they took his hand and leaned over to try to hug him as best they could. It was awkward, trying to lean over and hold him, the edge of the bed in their belly and his ribs against his face; but they managed. His twitches and noises slowly subsided and they sat back, wondering if they should quietly leave.

His eyes were open; his glowing pupils focused on Frisk.

There was a long pause, where they just stared at each other and Frisk felt more foolish with each passing second. Then he spoke.  
"Hey, kid. What's up?"  
"You were having a nightmare." The words were out before Frisk processed them- they had never talked about his nightmares, the closest they had got was commenting on his sleep and he had brushed it off in a way that suggested he didn't want to talk about it. There was another pause, before Sans sat up.  
"Yeah, that happens. But you know that."  
Frisk got up and sat next to him. "Me too."  
"You wanna talk about it?"  
"Do you?"  
"I asked first." His grin almost looked real in the low light from the window, just for a moment.

"I... don't really remember much of it, now. Just the fear. And um. I remember... Everyone dying." They shrugged, purposely skipping over how he had been last and most scary. "That's... not new though. So, um, your turn?"  
Sans stared at the floor. "I dunno, kid. Some of it's... stuff that happened, but not in this time, you know? And some of it's just stuff my mind pulled up."  
"What about tonight?" There was a pause.  
"Just... Seeing people die, or disappear. And not really remembering it. Sometimes that's the worst part, just having a vague feeling about it. It's always clearer at night, but hell if I know if I'm remembering, or if my mind's filling in the blanks for me." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, but it makes it hard to know if anything matters. How do I know I'll remember anything I do?"  
"You still think that? Even after getting out?"  
Sans turned his gaze to Frisk. "Not all the time, but... At night, yeah. It's hard not to, sometimes it's damned impossible. What if tomorrow we all wake up back down there, and I don't remember this conversation, or last night? What if it's all gone- again?"  
"That's not going to happen." Frisk folded their arms; his grin took on an amused tilt.  
"Oh, well, if you say it's not, that solves everything."  
"It's not! It's not, I'm not going to have to watch everyone die again, I'm not going to die over and over again, and you're not going to wake up like none of this ever happened. I won't _let_ that happen. Not again."

"Heh. You're really starting to grow up, aren't you, buddy? Gotta admire that determination of yours. Saved all our skins- or bones. Although I'm kinda gonna miss kid-Frisk."  
"Huh?" Frisk was completely thrown by the direction he'd taken the conversation in. "What're you going to miss?"  
"Your innocence. The way that all you needed to make the world right was a hug, and sleeping in everyone's bed was just a thing you did to make the demons go away."  
"I still like hugs!" Frisk protested.  
"And everyone knows it," Sans teased.  
"And- and I can still sleep in your bed. I'm not too old for that. If you want me to. If it will help."  
"Eh. If that's what you want, kid, go right ahead."

Frisk didn't need a second invitation. Whatever their logic had been to sleep on the sofa, it had all vanished between their own nightmares and Sans'. They burrowed in and lay with their back against against the wall, in their 'usual' spot, and he lay down next to them, tucking the duvet in around them.  
"Sleep well, Frisk," he said. Frisk grabbed his hand and he curled his bony fingers around their warm ones.  
"You too, Sans."

Being in the familiar place lulled Frisk into sleep quickly; when they dreamed, the nightmares weren't immediately there. And when they did pop up- as they always did, sooner or later- their friends were there, to beat them back, and to remind them that they didn't have to face them alone.


	18. Custody

Sans woke first the next day. Frisk was still in his bed, curled up beside him, their hair a messy plume sticking out from under the duvet. He lifted the covers enough to see their face. They looked peaceful.  
As they should; they had most of the bed, lying diagonally across the double mattress, limbs flopped out. He grinned and stretched, careful to neither nudge the human nor fall. He had to be honest with himself, though- he had slept well himself. His mind went back to their discussion. Frisk's determination not to let anything happen again.  
He didn't even know how much they were responsible for the timeline jumping. Less than he'd first thought, he was sure now; most of it was due to that damned flower, which haunted his dreams now, mocking him, a hint of memories out of his reach. But... It had been months. They'd reached the point where " _everything ended_ ", and they'd come back from the edge. And he didn't think anything had happened since. There were no tickles at the back of his mind; no moments that felt like something was missing, that he'd done something before.

Was it over? Could he let himself believe that? Sure, it was easily done now, with the sun shining in his window and the birdsong outside. He knew even Frisk had moments where they expected it all to be pulled out from under them- if for radically different reasons.  
The kid shifted position, more of their face becoming visible. They really did look like a child when they slept, rather than someone starting to turn into an adult. They had a lot of reasons to fear, but they had never given up on the people they cared about. He'd never given up on Papyrus, for that matter; no matter how hopeless things were, he always tried to do things for his brother, even with the knowledge that one day everything he'd done would be undone, reset. Frisk refused to limit that to one person, though- they pushed through their fears for _everyone_. Even themself. Even when they didn't feel like they deserved it, even when they were wracked with doubt- they never gave up.

He reached over and brushed some messy hair out of their face. They made a sleepy noise and shifted again. Maybe he should try to learn some of Frisk's lessons.  
With the sun shining and the birds singing outside, with the smell of Papyrus' cooking sneaking under the door and Frisk slowly opening their eyes to look at him, it felt like one of the best ideas he'd ever had.

* * *

A hearty (if not delicious) breakfast with their best friends after what ended as a good night sleep put a spring in Frisk's step and a smile on their face as they walked home. Where the sun hadn't hit it yet, the frost still held on to patches of grass, which crunched underfood; the birds were raucous, flocking to the feeders monsters had hung from trees. A few of the larger ones, Frisk knew, were monsters themselves; fascinated by the animals they somewhat resembled they tried to join in, with varying success.  
The path home was far too short for Frisk's liking; they barely got to appreciate the morning for a minute when they got close enough to the front door to hear voices. Raised ones, to be heard from where they stood, but it didn't sound like they were shouting exactly. The voices were familiar enough that Frisk's confusion was over _why_.  
Toriel didn't raise her voice- she was capable of it, when getting rowdy schoolkids to pay attention, but Frisk had never heard her do it otherwise, never out of anger or frustration. And Asgore- he still pined over Toriel. He had never pushed her, never questioned her; never resented her resentment. It was all very odd.

Frisk opened the front door quietly and slipped in. It seemed neither of them noticed the light spilling into the hallway; too intent on their... Discussion? Argument?  
"I'm not saying I want to take them away from you-"  
"That is certainly what it sounds like, _Dreemurr_!" Toriel's voice was cold. "What right do you have?"  
"This isn't about _my_ rights, but theirs! They deserve to make the choice-"  
"And it would make things easier on you and this- this damned paperwork!"  
"That does _not_ concern me!" Frustration was thick in Asgore's voice; that was new to Frisk. "But if they wish it-"  
"And if they do not?"

"If I wish what?" The pair of them whirled around to look at Frisk. "You're... talking about me, right?"  
There was a long moment where they just stared. Then Asgore cleared his throat.  
"Well, yes, we were-"  
"You should hear... some of this, Frisk, dear," Toriel interrupted. "Please- come and sit with us."  
Frisk didn't point out that they hadn't been seated themselves, but took a seat at the table. They reclaimed their forgotten chairs, and Toriel started to get the papers spread over the table in order.

"I received a letter from Mayor Eastaugh," Asgore said, watching Frisk's face closely. They frowned.  
"What does _she_ want?" Their voice was more churlish than intended.  
"She said- well, she did apologise." Toriel snorted and looked ready to interrupt Asgore; but she glanced at Frisk's face and closed her mouth again. "She said she... needed to be able to tell people that you didn't want to leave. It's all jolly complicated, there are a lot of rules that-"  
"We are getting you a birth certificate," Toriel interrupted, clearly unhappy with the conversation. "'Frisk Dreemurr'. Is that- what you wish, my child?" Frisk nodded emphatically. "Good. At least that is one thing that is easy to resolve."

"There's one problem, Frisk. The mayor thought, as you used my surname, that you perhaps lived with me, or-"  
"They live here. It is not a problem."  
"There is... also spaces for two parents on the paperwork, Frisk." Asgore looked... embarrassed, his eyes anywhere but Frisk. Toriel started to speak again; but Frisk looked at her and she stopped, uncomfortable.  
"So?" Frisk shrugged. "Do I... have two parents? Do you both want to put your names down?"  
Asgore looked like he was going to cry as he finally met Frisk's eyes. He reached out to take their hand. "Gosh- Frisk- if you want that- I would... I would love that. I promise, I would look after you the best that I can."  
Toriel grumbled, her arms folded, looking away. Asgore looked at her, sadness overtaking his expression for a moment. Frisk ignored her.  
"Does this mean, um... That I'll spend time at yours more often?"  
"Golly, well, that- that is up to you, Frisk!"  
They nodded. "Maybe at least one night a week? For now?"  
"As long as it does not interrupt your schoolwork," Toriel said curtly. She abruptly got up from the table and went into the kitchen. Asgore and Frisk both watched her go silently. Asgore let out a heavy sigh, but forced himself to turn back to Frisk and try to smile at them.

"So- if I pick you up from school? And you can stay at my house? We can- I can get some games to play inside when it's cold, and-" Frisk squeezed his hand, and he fell silent.  
"I don't want you to have to put yourself out," they said. Asgore shrugged.  
"I want you to be happy."  
"I am." Frisk paused, then grinned; a genuine, infectious grin that Asgore found himself copying. The truth of their words sank in.

"I am happy."

* * *

Toriel was considerably less so. Once Asgore left, Frisk went to join her in the kitchen. She remained at the sink, washing up, not saying anything, so Frisk stood next to her and hugged her side. She stopped what she was doing, but still didn't speak.  
"You're upset." She didn't answer, but it hadn't been a question. "I don't like it." She finally turned to look at them.  
"I thought about... what we discussed. Perhaps you were right, dear one, but... Forgiveness is a process, and it can be slow." She paused, before pulling her hands from the hot water and peeling off her washing up gloves. She laid her hand on Frisk's head, stroking their hair.  
"I will try, my dear. I will try not to be unhappy, about you wanting him in your life."  
"I don't love you less," Frisk said.

Toriel got on her knees and pulled Frisk into a tight, proper hug. "Oh, my sweet one," she said. "How do you find the right things to say like that?"  
"Practice?" Toriel laughed, knowing Frisk meant all the monsters they had "fought", having to talk them down, trying to leave them happier than they found them.  
"Yes, I suppose you have had plenty of that." She gave them an extra squeeze before pulling back. "Are you still behind on your homework?"  
"I did some last night."  
"'Some'?"  
"And, uh, I'm going to... go and do more. As soon as I've showered." Toriel smiled at that.

* * *

She tidied off what was left on the table as her child ( _her child_ , she repeated to herself) went to shower and change. She would have to get them to leave a pair of pyjamas at each of their friends' houses, she mused, pulling their books out and spreading them out on the table.  
It didn't have to be any different. They spent as many nights out as they could get away with anyway. And Asgore had been a good father, once, long ago. She sighed heavily and sat at the table.  
He probably missed their children. And he did seem to care for Frisk, despite what he had intended to do. Frisk's words about forgiveness went through her mind; their face so young, so innocent, their voice so soft, but their words showed how they'd been forced to grow up too much, too soon. They needed stability, and love, and reassurances. And... as angry as she was with what he had done, he had been good at that, once.

Long ago.

* * *

 _I could see Frisk's relationship with Asgore being quite an issue for Toriel- but at the same time it would force her to make peace with their history together and who he's become, and why. There were a lot of ways this could go- and if that horrible scene two chapters ago hadn't happened I don't think it could have gone so smoothly.  
_ _Hopefully their issues with each other can be resolved while reducing how much Frisk feels caught in the middle._

 _Also, I never wanted the mayor to be so much of an antagonist as she came across. She was in a difficult position without any experience to help her know what to do._

 _-Ren_


	19. Music

Napstablook- or Blooky, as Frisk had started calling them- was shy, quiet, self-conscious and anxious. They were also sweet and nice, and had been rather taken with Frisk from when they had first met in the ruins. Frisk's patience and kindness was just what the little ghost needed; and although they were busy with school and art and their closest friends, they tried to make time for the ghost.  
The door to their little house, as ever, was unlocked, and Frisk headed straight in. Napstablook had their headphones on, but they heard the door and greeted Frisk... about as enthusiastically as they were able to.  
"Oh... you came... I didn't know if you would, you have so many friends."  
"So many _other_ friends," Frisk reminded them.  
"Oh... yes, of course... Well... I found some more music to share with you."

Napstablook loved to share the music they liked, and although Frisk hadn't really had much prior knowledge of music, it had helped them form a bond. The human had responded by sharing video game music they liked, and they'd explored other genres and bands together. The little ghost seemed to revel in it, to be able to do something for someone they admired so much.  
They quickly pulled up a series of music videos and tracks. "What do you think to this one..."

It was more... energetic than most music Frisk had heard before. Powerful energy, that reminded them of Undyne, full of passion. The instruments were loud, guitars singing over drums and the vocals raw and powerful. Usually they gave their opinion of a track pretty early in, but they listened to this all the way through, not wanting to speak over it.  
"That's amazing, Blooky!" they said, once it was over. "Wow... I've never heard anything like _that_. It was like... Fire and passion and-" they laughed, "-and determination."  
"I'm glad you liked it... it's not what I usually listen to but I thought it might be right for you, because you don't ever give up."  
"That's... Thank you." Frisk gave him a genuine smile; he almost returned it.  
"I found more... if you like..."

The intro to the next one was heavier and Frisk sat forwards, listening intently; but as soon as the vocals kicked in, they made a face. "Eurgh, no, it's all... Growly! I don't like that at all."  
"Oh no... okay... so no vocals like that... I'll see what I can do..."  
"Hey, I found something I wanted to share with you, actually!" They pulled out their phone, where they'd saved the link. Napstablook copied it into their computer and let it play while they went through the playlist they'd put together for their human friend, removing certain songs.  
The one Frisk had picked out was an orchestral piece; slow and sweet, but with a slightly haunting tone to it. It had given Frisk goosebumps the first time they had heard it; and it did again now, listening together at the slow strings and whispering woodwinds. The ghost turned to them as soon as it finished.  
"That was really nice... thank you..."  
"It made me think of you!"  
"Oh... oh no..." Napstablook's eyes swam. "Oh... Why?"  
"Because... It was gentle, and nice, and- um." Napstabook was crying now- although that was quite normal for the little ghost. Frisk didn't know what to say when he did it though, so they just gave him a gentle smile.  
"Oh... Thank you... that was so nice... Oh... I'm rambling... I'll put the next song on for you..."

Frisk stayed a while, listening to songs and giving them their opinions on them. Napstablook had sorted out a playlist; although they'd gone with an older phone, they could listen to some music on it, although it couldn't hold much. The ghost would regularly update their phone with music they'd found, and Frisk would listen to it while drawing; they could have changed up their playlist at home, but this was an excuse to come and see Napstablook. The style of music they listened to would alter what they were inspired to draw or paint, and having music that connected them to their friends was the best part of all, to them.

* * *

 _Really short one... I wanted to show Frisk spending time with Napstablook, cherishing that ghost! But writing people just hanging out and listening to music together is tough- doubly so when you don't want to name names (as I didn't.)  
But it seems Frisk likes rock and roll and metal music, as long as it's not too heavy. I can see them enjoying the energy in it, and it being a good stress release and inspiring their art._

 _Don't worry, the next ones won't be this short!_

 _-Ren_


	20. Holiday Preparations

The holiday was upon Frisk before they were really aware of it. They'd made a point of making time to buy presents; but the night before, instead of spending time with any of their friends, they were feverishly wrapping them.  
They'd tried to ignore it, which hadn't helped. They didn't expect to get anything- other than the gift Toriel had got them some days ago- but they were afraid of being proven right. Christmas in the past had been miserable; and although they told themself that it wouldn't be the same this year, their past experiences still painted their expectations.  
This wasn't even Christmas. Taking place on the twentieth, Asgore had named it "the winter holiday", in his usual way of naming things- it was only Frisk's influence that had stopped the village from being called New New Home or Monster Village. They had recently been recognised by the humans as being called Dawn Village- a name that had enough symbolism to appeal to Asgore. Their symbol was, fittingly, a sun rising over a mountain.

That probably hadn't helped Frisk's planning. They'd spent their life surrounded by people who primarily celebrated Christmas, although aware that other holidays happened. It was miserable in the orphanage; the workers tried to make it festive, and some of the other children had got into the spirit, but Frisk always found it a painful reminder of being unwanted. What few gifts they got were always split into "boy gifts" and "girl gifts", which made it worse. It was a day where everyone was supposed to be loved and appreciated, and instead Frisk was reminded that they weren't loved, and that so many people wanted them to be someone they weren't, just to make their own lives simpler.  
The prior two years, they'd stayed with the old lady who taught them to cook. She didn't care if they were a boy or a girl, or both, or neither; she just wanted company, and she didn't treat Frisk badly. On Christmas day, she went to have dinner with a group of other older people; she always managed to bring home a plate for Frisk, though, and they'd get a good, hearty meal that they didn't have to cook. That was the closest they got to a happy holiday.

They'd mentioned a little bit of this to their friends and their parents. They didn't go into detail, but their friends all listened to what they did say, all understood. The monsters did things so differently- they were all going to celebrate, together. Nobody had to be alone. They would gather, outside, in the cold, to share gifts that would- if it was dry- be piled underneath the most central evergreen tree in town. A shelter had been built nearby for the gifts in case it was wet- something the monsters in Snowdin had never had to worry about, but nobody seemed to care about the possibility of being rained on.

Frisk sat back and looked at the pile of presents on their floor. It didn't look like enough. Their friends had done so much for them, and they just hoped this would make each of them smile. They hadn't even managed to find anything for Mettaton or Napstablook. It didn't feel likely they'd get gifts from each of them in return- Frisk told themself that was okay, that was how it should be. That it was enough to spend the day with them.  
The wrapping on the presents wasn't great, but it would have to do. Piles of ruined wrapping paper lay around them; Toriel had bought them plenty, but their first attempts had been so bad they'd torn them all off and kept trying. They'd probably still be re-doing them if they had enough paper left, but if they made them any worse, they wouldn't have enough to fix it.

The sky was clear; the moon was out, the stars winking. It was cold and fine, and the weather forecast suggested it would stay that way. Toriel had made sure they had plenty of warm clothes, and Frisk laid some out before setting an alarm on their phone, finally settling into bed. Nerves and worries and a little niggle of excitement kept them awake, tossing and turning, for some time before they finally drifted off.

Their sleep was still often disturbed- they tried to write some of the dreams down to talk about with their counsellor- so when the alarm went off, Frisk awoke instantly, turning it off before it could disturb Toriel.  
They pulled their jumper on and packed the presents as carefully as they could in their backpack; they put their shoes and bag on and crept out the house.

The moon was starting it's descent. Frisk shivered in the cold air, heading towards the tree, hoping nobody saw them. It remained quiet and still- they saw one or two monsters, but none of them moving in the same direction as them.  
The weight of their bag helped warm them up; in the moonlight, and with the luminescent moss and mushrooms, Frisk could clearly see their puffs of breath. It was a reminder of the warm bed they had to return to; the warm breakfast that would greet them later in the morning. They smiled.

The tree had been decorated; it wasn't a huge tree, but the top branches still had to be adorned by climbing and flying monsters. When the wind blew, little bells chimed- although the wind was still tonight. Presents were piled underneath, pointing towards the direction the recipient lived in. Frisk put the bag down and carefully placed the presents, placing one in particular a bit further back, and another right at the front. Lastly, they headed around to find Asgore's pile of gifts and left theirs with the rest of them. It was a bit sad- the monsters usually only gave gifts to family and closest friends, and Asgore's pile was smaller than they would have expected, for a beloved king.

Tempted as they were to see if there was anything there for them, they turned away. Why would there be? Silly. They shouldn't get their hopes up. They ran back home to keep warm, stopping outside to catch their breath before sneaking in.

Bed was waiting.


	21. Holiday Celebrations

Noise pulled Frisk from their sleep. They cracked open an eye. There was a long, confused moment where they listened to distant excited chatter, before they remembered- the winter holiday.  
Their present from Toriel had been in the room for a couple of days; a solid desk and chair, although some time in the night she'd tied a bow around the chair. Had that been before they'd crept out, or after? They winced at the idea of being caught out.  
Nerves were rapidly erasing their sleepiness. What if nobody liked their presents? What if they were stolen? In a town of monsters who didn't seem to consider stealing and with only one human, that didn't seem likely, but they were starting to panic about what could go wrong. Remembering the instructions of their counsellor, they took long, deep breaths, focusing on the here and now. _Hold it and contain it_. Once the panic subsided they took a long, hot shower. It helped to soothe, leaving them feeling pleasantly warm and more in control.

Toriel was in her reading chair; a warm fire crackled, and she beamed at Frisk when they entered the room. "Good morning! Happy winter holiday, dear one." Frisk gave her a big hug in reply.  
"Happy winter holiday, mum." They sniffed the air appreciatively. She chuckled.  
"Yes, I made cinnamon-butterscotch pie. Enough for all of our friends to share. I also used a human recipe for mince pie, if you would like a slice for breakfast. And I made sure we had some coconut cream. I know how much you like it."  
Frisk's stomach loudly attested to that; they blushed, and she smiled broadly. "I shall take that as a request for some."  
"Only a little bit, please." Nerves still squirmed in their stomach. They followed her to the kitchen and put the kettle on, making themself a cup of ginger tea while she cut the pie.  
"Perhaps you should put a little bit of cold water into that," she suggested. "We will be heading out soon."

Their nerves grew with her words; but they did as she suggested, and sat down with the pie. It smelled good, and they took a careful bite. The cream had cooled it enough to be easy to eat, and as the flavour hit their tongue, hunger overrode nerves and they wolfed the pie down.  
"Are you sure you would not like some more?" Frisk shook their head, sipping their tea. It had been delicious, and they felt better for eating it- but they were still feeling anxious. The idea of more food only made their stomach tighten.

"Frisk!" The front door burst open, letting in a swirl of cold air and Papyrus' enthusiastic voice. "Are you ready? It's time to see what Santa has brought! Nyeh heh heh heheh!"  
Frisk was not ready, they instantly decided; but the skeleton brothers were here, and there was no putting it off. They ran to get ready while Toriel tried to discourage Papyrus from eating any of her pie.  
When they returned, wrapped up in a jumper, a warm coat, gloves and boots, they were unsurprised to see the brothers with an empty plate each. They smiled at the pair, despite the squirming in their belly.  
"Good! Let us be off!" Papyrus bounced up from the table; Toriel- wearing a knitted poncho- gestured to the door and Frisk filed out after them. They set out towards the tree, Papyrus quickly outstripping the others; each of them carrying a bag. Frisk was only vaguely distracted by Papyrus' large red Santa sack.

"Hey, kid." Frisk glanced at Sans. "You okay?"  
For once, Frisk was irritated by how observant Sans was. He didn't try to cheer them up with bad jokes and pranks; he was just there, steady and stable. Today they would rather he told jokes and pretended nothing was wrong, as he did with some others. They wanted to pretend nothing was wrong themself.  
"Hey, Sans," they said, not answering his question. "If I left for a week, would you still remember me?"  
"What sort of a question is that, buddy? Of course I would."  
"What if I left for a month?"  
"Nope. Wouldn't forget."  
There was a pause. Then, "knock knock."  
Sans gave Frisk a funny look. They didn't tend to make jokes, and only occasionally made puns to fire back at his own. Still, he went along with it. "Who's there?"  
"See, you forgot me already."

He snorted and bumped into them. They tried to smile at him. "M'okay." It was a lie. It was a lie and Sans had always, always seen through Frisk. But he didn't say anything; just nodded, and pretended to believe them.  
Alphys and Undyne were already at the tree; when Frisk caught sight of them, Alphys was trying to stuff something in a bag she'd brought, while Undyne had the skeleton in a headlock. Maybe it was a gift from Undyne, Frisk pondered; Alphys didn't like to talk about their relationship much in company. They all greeted each other, and Frisk acted like they hadn't seen anything. It was easy to do; speaking much at all was hard. But there was so much noise of the monsters all around them, talking and laughing and hugging, that nobody seemed to notice.

Papyrus was positively bouncing, desperate to know what "Santa" had brought him this year. Toriel was the first to reach for a present, though.  
"Oh, this one is for..." She looked at the label on the small present and handed it to Sans.  
"From Frisk, huh?" He tore it open and laughed. "Thanks, kid."  
"What is it Sans, what is it?!" Papyrus was so excited that he completely missed Toriel trying to hand him something; Alphys was already opening a gift of her own.  
"It's socks, bro. The kid got me socks."  
"What! Well I hope you won't leave these ones on the floor! They were a gift!"  
"No worries, bro." Sans pocketed the socks. "Thanks, buddy. Oh- hey, looks like one for you."

Frisk felt their face flush hot as he handed them the present. "O-oh, it's... From Undyne." It was soft and the wrapping was haphazard, but they started to peel carefully at it.  
"Gah! Just tear it, you punk!" The others laughed at Undyne's frustration as Frisk stripped off their gloves and tried to get into it without tearing the paper; and they all cheered when they finally gave up trying to figure out her wrapping and ripped the paper off.  
It was a thick red scarf with a white trim. Frisk grinned and immediately started pulling it on. It wasn't too cold, the gift having sat in the morning sun; and they turned their grin on their friend once they had wrapped it around their neck. "This is great- thanks, Undyne!"  
Papyrus had just finished opening a cookery book when Toriel picked one up and made a surprised sound. "Oh- from Frisk! Oh, thank you, my child." She carefully peeled the wrinkled paper off- despite Undyne's protests- and pulled out an apron, purple and blue, with large pockets. "Oh- how thoughtful! Thank you, my dear."  
"That's Frisk's way of saying you need to bake them more pie," Sans commented. Frisk elbowed him and watched Alphys opening a DVD of an anime.

"Hey! Hey human! Frisk! Hey! Open mine!" Papyrus thrust a present into their hands. It was carefully wrapped, right down to having perfect places to open it. They peeled the paper back to reveal a folder; confused, Frisk flipped through it. It was full of recipes.  
"All of my favourites! And you know I have great taste! You will have to come over and cook with me more now! Nyeh heh heh!" Frisk grinned at him, blinking back tears. It was silly and cute and delightfully personal, and they hugged it to their chest.  
"Fighting princesses!" Undyne suddenly whooped. She had, unnoticed to Frisk, opened their gift to her; it was a DVD set of a TV show about a very famous fictional warrior princess. Frisk grinned at her enthusiasm.

It was completely disorganised, despite Toriel's attempts. She tried to make it so only one person was opening a present at a time; but it didn't work. Papyrus got a thick knitted jumper with "cool dude" across the chest from "Santa"- he loved it, and Frisk commented that clearly they'd been spelling Santa wrong for years- they thought it had more than one letter s in it. Sans smirked at them while Papyrus told them no, just one, it wasn't Ssanta, that was silly; before he thrust another present into their arms. It was small and seemed to be a box.  
From Napstablook and Mettaton. Frisk felt their stomach turn over; they felt awful for not getting either of them anything, especially once they opened it and found an MP3 player. They were glad they weren't opening gifts with the pair. It was such a lovely gesture.  
They watched Sans open one to take their mind off it; so far, other than his socks, he'd only received condiments- although he seemed pretty happy with his pile of bottles. This was a pair of pyjamas though; thick and warm, from Papyrus. His genuine appreciation made Frisk feel better- even though they bickered, they loved to see how close the brothers were.

Another one for Frisk while Undyne was pulling some sheets of piano music out of an envelope; it was from Asgore. They pulled the wrapping off.  
It was a soft grey teddy bear. They stared at it. They'd had a teddy once; one of the older boys had taken it, laughing, and pulled it apart. They hadn't had one since. Now they did.  
They realised their friends were all staring at them, concerned. They tried to blink back the tears swimming in their eyes, but instead they spilled and they brushed them away. "M'okay," they said thickly. "Just, uh, got something in my eye."  
"What've you got in your eye, kiddo?"  
Frisk laughed. "Tears!"  
Their laughter seemed to put the rest of the group at ease, and things resumed. There wasn't many presents left; Papyrus gave Frisk- still holding their bear- a painful hug when he unwrapped his rubik's cube; Alphys gave Frisk a couple of new games, and beamed when she received her Mew Mew Kissy Cutie poster in return.

There were only a few presents left when Sans handed Frisk one from him. It was large and heavy, and felt like a box; and they handed him their teddy to hold while they opened it. It was wrapped in plain, shiny red paper and far more tape than it needed; Frisk struggled, trying to peel it open, while Sans watched, amused, and the others were gathered around Toriel.  
"Guess you're gonna have to tear it open, kid." So far Frisk had been folding the paper from their gifts and putting it in their bag carefully. He'd done this on purpose. Frisk glared at him and he chuckled.  
Finally, with the others starting to take notice, Frisk tried to tear at it instead, finally putting it down and managing to get into the corner. They ripped it from there, pulling the paper back.

It was a box of practical jokes. Frisk stared, confused. It had pictures of whoopie cushions, fake spiders and the like on the front.  
They looked up at him. This was the present from their closest friend? They'd never been into practical jokes- although some of Sans' more absurd actions had amused them, the whoopie cushions and his "special telescope" had mostly just left them bemused. Were their feelings of friendship that one-sided? Did he not see them for who they were after all?  
Sans could clearly see they were upset. "Look inside the box, kiddo."

They pulled the lid off, glad for an excuse to look down, away from everyone. They paused. Then they started to laugh; a real laugh, tears squeezing from their eyes.  
The box itself was a practical joke. Inside was a sketchbook; bigger than their others, covered in embroidered fabric. They lifted the cover; the paper inside was thick and good quality, perfect for pencils or paint. They let the pages fall and saw, on the front page, Sans' scrawl.

 _for my good friend frisk. hope you find as much inspiration as you give me._

Frisk let the book close, jumped up and grabbed the skeleton in a big hug, tears spilling out free and fast. He wrapped one arm around them.  
"Urk- easy kiddo. Hey." He spoke quietly into Frisk's ear; the others were all watching, but the noise of all the other monsters stopped his words from being audible to anyone else. "I knew you weren't looking forward to this. I just wanted to remind you- you got a lot to be happy about here, Frisk."  
They pulled back, snuffling and beaming. He had a blue tinge on his cheeks, and looked faintly embarrassed at Frisk's very public display of affection. They realised he was blushing.  
"Thank you. And, um. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." They took the teddy back from him and hugged that instead. The others, they noticed, were pointedly digging out the rest of the presents, giving Frisk space- their friends all knew they didn't like too much attention, especially when they were upset.

Nobody mentioned it while they were opening the rest of the presents. Papyrus got a stack of puzzle books; Alphys had amassed a collection of DVDs and games; Toriel had books and some baking supplies- including a couple of novelty pie tins. Sans got the last gift; he gave Frisk a funny look.  
"Two, huh? Is this attempted bribery? 'Cause you're not having my pie later."  
"The socks were... just 'cause I thought it was funny."  
"Alright." Sans opened it without ceremony. Inside was a new hoodie- thick and soft, a deep blue scattered with tiny silver-grey stars. It had reminded Frisk of the night sky, and Sans' love of quietly watching it. There was a moment where he didn't say anything; holding it up, his smile was faded, his eyes no longer bright. Then he turned a full grin on Frisk.

"Hey, kid, that's- man, I think you even got the size right. Wow. Almost worth giving up my pie." He quickly shrugged out of his old hoodie and piled it on the human's head. They smiled and wrapped it around themself while he pulled his new one on.  
"Yeah, look at that- that's- wow. Frisk. Thanks." He didn't seem to know what else to say. Frisk returned his grin and put his old one on properly over their coat. He chuckled.  
"Uh huh. It was all so you could steal that one, huh?"  
"Oh yes. That was the purpose of all of this," they said, deadpan. "That's why I came down into the Underground. To get your hoodie."  
Everyone laughed. "Man, if I thought that was all it would take I woulda started stealing his tops ages ago," Undyne remarked.  
"Nah, that wouldn't have worked. I had to wear it to lure in a human."  
"Would that have helped me capture a human?" Papyrus pondered.

They were interrupted by a cough behind them. Toriel was suddenly very busy with packing everyone's presents. Frisk turned to see Asgore.  
"I just- oh!" His eyes saw that Frisk was holding the teddy and he seemed to forget what he had been saying. Then he smiled. "I wanted to wish you all a happy winter holiday!"  
"Aww, Asgore, thanks for the mugs," Undyne said. Asgore chuckled.  
"Well, thank you for the teapot," he said. "And Alphys, thank you for the tea. And- Frisk..."  
For a moment he seemed awkward; then Frisk stepped towards him, one arm out, the other still holding their bear to their chest. He smiled and bent, giving them a tight hug.  
"Thank you for the flower bulbs," he said. "I know just where to plant them. Do you like-"  
"Yes!" Frisk hugged him tighter around the neck. "I- thank you. I really, really do."  
"Gosh- Frisk- I'm so glad. I thought- with your nightmares- well, maybe having it there would help."

Frisk pulled back and hastily wiped their eyes before everyone else saw. Asgore's eyes were damp too; he squeezed Frisk's shoulders gently. "Would you like to come over for tea tomorrow? Your friends can come, if they don't have other things to do."  
Frisk nodded eagerly.  
"Jolly good. Well." He stood up. "I'll let you all get back to it." He beamed at them all before leaving.

* * *

 _This chapter- and partly the last- are perhaps the most personal to me, and the ones where more of myself creeps into Frisk. I have a similar aversion to Christmas; I didn't want to focus too much on how negatively they feel about the time of year but I hope it came through okay. I think I managed to get the joy to shine through!_

 _It was hard to actually think of gifts for and from each character- I didn't want anything "filler" or impersonal, with the exception of Sans' pile of condiments. I feel like most characters probably don't see beyond the surface personality that he projects, which of course makes it harder for them to see what he'd really like. I'm a little bothered that I didn't spend time really showing his love of the stars and sharing that with Frisk- perhaps that's something to cover in later chapters._

 _-Ren_


	22. Last Goodbye

The rest of the day passed in a blur. They all ate Toriel's pie, and then sat around the table, playing board games and laughing. Frisk had expected to be unhappy, but instead... They were having one of the best days they ever remembered.  
There was only one niggle. After stuffing themselves with pie, dinner was to be later than usual; but before that... Frisk pulled Papyrus to one side, whispering something to him. He left while Frisk went up to his brother, who had been watching without comment.  
"Um. Hey." They didn't look him in the eyes. "I want to go back to the ruins."  
"You want to take that thing a slice of pie?" There was no humour in Sans' expression. They hadn't expected him to like the idea. "And where does Papyrus come into this?"  
They hadn't tried to hide his brother's involvement. They'd considered being more discreet- partly out of respect for Papyrus' feelings- but in the end, it seemed pointless. They couldn't have hidden this from Sans- they couldn't hide anything from him with any measure of success, but they knew the moment they involved Papyrus he'd be paying even more attention.

Frisk sighed, double-checking that nobody was paying attention. Toriel was in the kitchen, and Undyne and Alphys were talking, heads close. "Remember that flower he mentioned to you?"  
"Yeah, I did figure out that it was the same one."  
"He... You know how well he thinks of everyone. He's been... writing letters to him. When I found out... I said... I might be able to drop them off, but that he can't come. He... didn't like that, but." Frisk swallowed hard as they met Sans' gaze. "I don't want to tell him the truth. I can't. But... I do want to go down there."  
Sans shook his head. "Don't get it, kid, but if you want to go, you'll go. And, hey, someone's gotta keep you outta trouble."  
"You'll come with me?"  
"Yeah, yeah. Go tell Tori though, she'll kill me if I let you sneak off today."

Toriel didn't like what little Frisk told her; but she seemed to see that they really felt the need for their "walk in the fresh air". She promised not to make a big deal of it in front of the others (Frisk hadn't forgotten what people had thought about their feelings for Sans), and made them promise to wrap up warm.  
Once they had done so, and piled a couple of books into their bag, they joined Sans. He was stood by the front door, holding a thick envelope. Frisk could hear Papyrus in the living room.  
"Is that them?"  
"Yeah. Come on, kid, let's get this over with."

* * *

He took them "through a shortcut", bringing them to the far end of the ruins. He handed Frisk the envelope.  
"Aren't you coming?"  
"I'll be close, bucko," Sans replied. Frisk bit their lip. He wasn't happy about this- he didn't get it. Should they tell him? They took a deep breath.  
"Sans?" He looked at them. "I- I'll explain. As soon as I'm done. Okay?"  
He seemed a little surprised. "Didn't know there was more to explain, but okay, Frisk. Go do your thing. But if your little friend-"  
"He's not my friend."  
"Well, whatever. I'll be there, in case."

Frisk nodded and headed into the passage, going along it until they found themself in the cavern. The sun felt too weak to warm the stone; it was cold, and damp. There was a faint sound of revelry from far above and away, but it only served to make the place feel more desolate. They knelt and opened their backpack, pulling out the books they'd brought.

"Hey." They spoke to the flower bed, not knowing where else to look. "Um, I don't even know if... you're here. Maybe you're not. Maybe you'll come back and find all this, and it'll be weird and you won't know why I bothered." Frisk paused.  
"I'm not sure I know why I'm here. I mean... I know what you are. And I have my memories of him. But it isn't fair, you know? It's like you said before... If I did everything right, why did it still end like that? It's mostly good, but... The one person who had it worst doesn't get a happy ending. I don't know how you feel about that. But it isn't fair."

There was a long pause. "Today's a holiday, you know," Frisk finally continued. They felt like they could feel Sans' gaze on their back and tried to ignore it. "We bought each other gifts. I thought I was going to be unhappy, and feel lonely. But I didn't. I was happy- really, really happy. I wish you could have been happy, too. So... I got you something. A few things, actually."  
They opened the large envelope and poured out all of Papyrus' letters next to the patch of flowers. Each one was folded neatly. "These are... They're from Papyrus. I don't know why you talked to him. Maybe it was just so you could use him to manipulate me, so you could steal the souls. I don't know. It doesn't matter. You can read them, or don't. I also brought you a book. It's on human legends and myths. I don't know if you can- well, anyway. I thought it might stop you from being bored for a little while. And this-" Frisk placed the final book next to the letters and the other book. "It's a sketchbook. I filled it full of things on the surface."

There was a long pause. He wasn't coming. They weren't sure that was a bad thing; who knew what he was like, now, months later. Maybe everything that had happened had changed him; maybe he was nothing like they remembered. Maybe he had moved on; maybe they should too. Frisk tried to think of something to say; but nothing came, so they just stood up and left. They weren't surprised to find Sans walking next to them, hands in his pockets, like he'd been there all along.  
"Better, kid?"  
Frisk shrugged as they entered the ruins. "I don't know. Maybe."  
Sans glanced at them and Frisk remembered what they had said. He probably wouldn't accept it if they tried to back out now- at least, not gracefully. He was becoming more motivated by the day, and they didn't want to know how he would act if he was determined to get answers- or anything else.  
"Um... We should go somewhere... he's not likely to eavesdrop. If he's around. Which he might not be," they admitted. "Maybe, um, Toriel's old house, or the castle."

Wordlessly, Sans took them back to "Home". It was sad, quiet and dusty. Frisk went into their old room. It used to be Asriel's; they couldn't imagine him coming here. They sat on the floor and Sans sat opposite them, quiet and waiting.  
"Okay. So. Um." Frisk played with their new scarf as they thought. "You know Alphys did experiments with what she called 'determination'."  
"Yup."  
"Wee-ell... Okay, before I tell you, you have to promise me something. I know you don't like promises, but you can't tell... Actually, I think you can't tell anyone else about this. Definitely not anyone who might tell m- Toriel, or Asgore, or Alphys. Or Papyrus. But, uh, you... probably shouldn't tell anyone. Okay?"  
Sans groaned. "Alright, kid, fine."  
"Okay. Okay. I'm guessing you, uh, know the story, of Chara, and Asriel, and how he died?" Sans nodded, his glowing eyes fixed steadily on them. They glanced away again. "Well, he brought in all these seeds with him, from the surface. And the first one that grew, Alphys took it, to use in her experiments. She wanted to make something that could hold souls, to become strong enough to break the barrier. But... Injecting it with determination made it aware. Gave it a will to live, but no soul."

"So that's what it is." Sans didn't seem entirely surprised; Frisk met his eyes again.  
"Y-yes, but... Sans. It was the flower that grew where Asriel died. Where his dust scattered." Sans stared, his expression unreadable. "It... _was_ Asriel. Without a soul. He- when he... absorbed all the souls, he became himself again, and that's why he broke the barrier. And then he gave them all back, and he turned back into Flowey. He... He was manipulated, and killed, and then forced to exist like that. And that's how he's stuck."

There was a long pause before Sans spoke.  
"Shit." Frisk stared at him, startled. "That, uh. That's some heavy stuff. Every time you tell me this stuff, I wonder how the hell you've managed to keep going, carrying it."  
Frisk shrugged. "I thought... Well. I thought you should know. You knew the rest. And you brought me down here, even though I never gave you a good reason to."  
"You still haven't. He's not... Asriel any more, is he?"  
"Well... No, but I don't think he's who he was before, either." Frisk suddenly remembered what Flowey had said the last time they'd seen him, about Sans.  
"Do you know what he meant last time, about 'resets'?"  
"Got a theory."  
"Which is?"  
"That I killed him. Several times." Sans shrugged. "Feels about right. Can't say I'm too broken up about it. I remember him telling you not to trust me, too."  
Frisk snorted. "Well, yeah, if you killed him, I can see why. He was wrong, though."

Sans stared at them. "Thanks, kiddo," he finally said. "We should get back."

* * *

Thanks to Sans' "shortcuts", they hadn't been gone for too long. The company and good food managed to perk both of them up; and when Frisk went to bed that night, it was with a full stomach, a singing heart, a strong feeling of having done the right thing, regardless of how it turned out, and optimism for the future.

They had a family. They had friends. They had a best friend, who knew everything- even the bits they thought they had to hide, even the bits they never thought they could bring themself to discuss.

They had a future.

* * *

 _I wanted this to be Frisk's closure without being too "down" after their fantastic day.  
I also wanted a chance to say goodbye to Flowey in-story. He almost certainly won't be back. He's not the Flowey Frisk met when they fell- he's the Flowey that the player gets to see after a Pacifist ending, when he pleads with them not to reset. That's who he is; without love, yes, but with awareness that "kill or be killed" was a toxic mindset, that it was wrong, and that there's a lot of good in the world. I don't know what becomes of him, but I think he finds a way to define his own life. Maybe he's touring the world on the surface, who knows?_

 _Anyway, this is the end of the first "part" of my story! Don't worry- I'm not done. My plan is to have time skips every few chapters after here- ranging from several months to possibly years. We will see Frisk grow up, see their relationships and life change and grow. If you don't want to follow in that, this is probably a nice place to stop- it ends their first six months or so with the monsters, and I feel provides them with nice closure._

 _If you do want to stick with it, feel free to let me know what you think so far; if you have anything you'd particularly like to see me cover (no promises, but I'll think about it) or just to tell me what you've enjoyed so far. Actually, especially that last one. Nothing motivates me more than knowing I'm touching other people with my story! And big thanks to the people who've sent me lovely messages to date._

 _Anyway, if you've read this far, thank you so much. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed working on it._

 _-Ren_


	23. Part Two

What a difference a year could make.

* * *

Frisk was examining themself in the mirror. They were wearing the top Mettaton had given them; it seemed so long ago, now. Their window was wide, to catch any hint of breeze; and the sound of revelry came through. They could barely remember how they had looked back then. Their hair had been raggedly cut, and now it flowed, long enough to tie in a low ponytail with only a few strands fighting loose; and the top bore testimony to how much they had grown. It was almost too short now, and it had been loose when they'd first donned it; now it was snug, their body still slender but no longer scrawny.  
Puberty threatened, but dressed like this their body barely hinted at it. Their shorts showed knees scarred from rough falls, and only a light dusting of darker hair covered their shins. Their voice was just starting to mature; they regularly tried to push aside their terrors of waking up one morning sounding like Asgore.  
They saw a doctor regularly in the city; they took blood tests, and they were going to start a course of injections to help regulate their hormones. With their body being... ambiguous, there was no solid answer as to what levels of hormones their body would produce as they went through life. Growing up was terrifying; but today... Today all of that was to be pushed aside. Today they would see the people they loved, and remember they they were all here, and free, and together. Today they would remember that it didn't matter what the future held; they wouldn't have to face it alone. Today they would celebrate, and the fear of the future or the sadness of the past had no place.

Today was for joy.

* * *

The differences struck Sans regularly; more often, he knew, than anyone else. It felt at times like he had lived several lifetimes stuck in the Underground, and he still had bad days- they came less often, and he was less determined to hide them under a guise of jokes and so-called "laziness". It was partly time, he knew; partly the people around him who had come to care for him, not just the persona he put forwards. And, though he never said as much, it was partly Frisk, and the way they had reminded him what hope felt like.  
His bedroom looked nothing like it had in Snowdin. Well, it was still a bit untidy; but now there was actual furniture, and the bed- more than just a mattress- looked half-way made. He had a chest of drawers and it actually had a variety of clothes in it. It genuinely felt like home, now. That struck him often, too. The idea of belonging somewhere, of letting himself have something that he never wanted to lose.  
He pulled open a drawer; it was a bright late spring day, and shorts seemed fitting. Not that it mattered to him; he wasn't bothered by the heat any more than he was the cold, but he found a certain joy now in mimicking what the others tended to wear. His fingers landed on the shorts he had used to wear, day in, day out, out of apathy. They were faded and battered, and stained where he had interrupted Frisk's painting and they had splattered him in surprise.  
He was tempted, for a moment, to wear them, out of some sort of reminder of where he had come from. Then he pushed them aside and pulled out a different pair of shorts. This wasn't a day for dwelling on being down there.

It was a day for looking forward to staying up here.

* * *

Papyrus rarely looked back. There was simply too much to be excited about, looking forward; he had started driving lessons, although he was surprised at just how hard it turned out to be. Still, he wasn't phased. He'd gathered books on cars, and started to learn how they worked.  
He hadn't settled on a single job. At the moment, he thought that he should learn to be a car mechanic, either on the vintage petrol cars or the modern electric ones; there was no pressure on any of the monsters to get a job, but Papyrus always found something to do. He spent a lot of time with Mettaton, helping him with his camera work; maybe a cameraman would be a better idea.  
He threw open his wardrobe with enthusiasm. There were so many options available to him in the future- so many things to do, so many things to see. So many clothes he could wear today! He looked out the window. Everyone else would be dressed to suit the weather; he should do likewise. He pulled out a pair of cut-off shorts and his favourite sleeveless t-shirt- baggy, with "COOL DUDE" printed on it. Sans had got it for him.

Papyrus liked the surface. He liked the sun on his bones, and he liked the humans. He liked the trees. But more than anything, he liked the way this life had affected his friends- and especially his brother. He liked it when Sans was actually happy about getting up in the morning; he liked being surrounded by his friends, and cooking for them; he liked it when Sans didn't rush him to bed, because he was too busy enjoying his own life.

For Papyrus, today wasn't about freedom, or the surface. It was about the people he loved, fiercely. It was about seeing them happy.

* * *

Undyne woke before Alphys. The smaller monster murmured in her sleep and curled closer to her girlfriend as she tried to get out of bed. They'd been up late the night before- having their own celebrations, together. Just them. Undyne couldn't say how she had slept through the sounds of festivity, or how Alphys still was. She scooted back into the bed and held her girlfriend, listening to the noise outside.

Alphys woke slowly; treasuring the sensation of Undyne's arms around hers. "Good morning," she heard her say, and grinned.  
"Yeah... It is." She wiggled free and kissed Undyne's cheek.  
For a few minutes they just stayed in bed; enjoying each other's closeness, no need for speech. Eventually Alphys pulled away. "We should- we should get up."  
Undyne grumbled and grabbed her, pulling her back as she tried to get out of bed. She let out a laugh and relented, turning back to her girlfriend.  
They both had so much to celebrate. Their freedom, their second chances, their friends.

But for a few more minutes, they just celebrated each other.

* * *

The sunlight shining through the window fell on a stack of papers. The top one was covered in typed words, with red notes here and there. A red pen was making it's way down another sheet, pausing occasionally to leave a tick or a note.  
Toriel glanced over her glasses at the sunshine, the sky, the trees waving in the gentle breeze. It was a beautiful day; she had no doubt that the celebration would be wonderful.  
For a moment, she put her pen down and let her mind wander. It had been quite a year. She had hoped to get the marking done before this, but there was only a little left. She was looking forward to getting out, spending the holiday with her child and their friends.  
Her child. Her family. She smiled, leaning back. A little over a year ago, she was sat in her house in the ruins; remembering the sweet child who had fallen down, and that fierce determination and unwillingness to back down they had shown. She remembered how she wrestled with her fear for them, her grief.  
And then, of course, her friend the joker had never returned. She had asked him to look after any humans that passed through- and now she knew he had done just that. But oh, how lonely she had been. Lonely, and sad, and restless.  
She looked down at the papers she was marking. Now she had a child, and her child's closest friends had become family- loud, and rambunctious, and utterly devoted to Frisk. She smiled. And, of course, she had all her students- she was a teacher now, a real one, one of several in a real school.  
It was because of her students that she was missing the early celebrations. She was determined to finish the marking while it was all fresh in her mind, rather than leaving it until later in the holidays.

These children, after all, were their future. And their future was her hope.

* * *

Asgore stood in front of his house, cup of tea in hand. There were so many monsters milling about; enjoying the sun, and the day; the memories and the promise of the future. He remembered that first day- it hadn't yet been a full year, not until near sundown, but today was the day and everyone was out to enjoy it. They had wonderful weather for it, but he didn't think it would have mattered if it was cold and wet. His people would have enjoyed it anyway.  
"His people". He didn't think of them that way very often any more. Although king in name, he spent much of his time gardening; many houses were now surrounded by beautiful gardens that blended into the woodlands that were still very much part of this area of the town, the place where most monsters lived. He occasionally helped with disputes, but he was now mostly just viewed as Asgore, the gardener, the father to their hero, and he was okay with that.  
He was far happier with the badge of fatherhood than he was with that of being a monarch. His people didn't need ruling, not any more; a little guidance, which they took just as readily from Toriel as from him. She seemed to have forgiven him- although how much of that was for the sake of their child, Asgore didn't know, nor care to ask.

It didn't matter. Forgiveness was forgiveness. Frisk had forgiven him straight away; his people had never known how much he needed forgiving. On a day like today, the sun on his fur, the happy cries of his people surrounding him, he started to feel like he could forgive himself.

* * *

 _From one celebration to another! This is a jump of about five months, taking us to May. Things have changed a little, relationships have become more settled and people have started to move forwards. Nothing major has been missed though._

 _On with the celebrations!_

 _-Ren_


	24. Anniversary

Frisk headed out. The sun was bright; and they shielded their eyes as they stepped into it, leaving the front door open to let the fresh air permeate the house... and hopefully hurry Toriel into joining them.  
The official celebrations, which Frisk had helped Asgore and Toriel plan and prepare for, wasn't until tonight; they would celebrate the sundown, and likely well into the night. But nobody intended to wait until the sun neared the horizon to be happy together. Muffet had a stand, providing refreshments- although they decided to avoid eating any of her pastries, given that they felt their ingredients often should remain a mystery.  
Frisk was noticed first by a small, furred monster; elderly and looking somewhat like a rabbit, he hobbled up to them.

"Ah, Frisk, Frisk m'dear, there you are, there you are, you know, people have been wondering when you would appear, yes, this is all because of you my dear. Mm, hmm."  
"Ah- thank you." Frisk smiled politely. They had no idea who they were talking to. "Are you having a good time?"  
"A good time, oh dear me, oh yes, the sun, it's very nice on the fur, isn't it, not that you would know I suppose, since you have no fur of course, but it is, very pleasant, very warming, and of course- everyone is so happy- yes, it's a good day, a good day."  
Frisk was barely able to politely excuse themself as another monster came up, wanting to say hello, to thank them, to get a few moments of their time; and then another, and another. Many of them were near strangers to Frisk- they hadn't seen so many monsters together since that first celebration, a year ago. It was overwhelming.

They were trying to find a way to get away from the crowd, and were starting to worry about being polite less and less, when a shout cut through the chatter.  
"There you are, ya punk!"  
The monsters parted before Undyne and she bore down on Frisk; scooping them up into a rib-cracking hug. They squeaked in protest, squirming; but when she put them down, they were grinning. The other monsters all backed off out of respect for Undyne. Sometimes Frisk wished that was the sort of respect they got- more awe, and less easy familiarity and eagerness to be close to. It would be nice to have less of a mob around them.  
"Hey, Undyne, Alphys." The smaller monster had been clinging to Undyne's belt; she looked even less thrilled with the crowds than Frisk was.  
"You're, um, getting a lot of attention, Frisk," she pointed out, looking around and adjusting her dress. Frisk suspected Undyne had picked it for her; it was set in beautiful autumnal tones, which complimented her yellow skin.  
"I noticed," they said; glancing around to see if anyone was likely to overhear, they followed it up with, "it's overwhelming, actually."  
"Don't worry, Frisk, I'll beat off anyone who bothers you!" Undyne stood tall; she had dressed up too somewhat, wearing knee-high boots over black trousers and a waistcoat.  
"Thanks, Undyne."  
"Well... Maybe I won't _beat_ them..." Undyne mused. Frisk grinned.  
"Thanks, Undyne..."

The couple wandered around, with Frisk following them. They felt like a bit of a third wheel, with Alphys leaning close to Undyne and them talking mostly to each other; but every few steps someone called their name or waved to them, and for now they were happy to enjoy the celebrations like this. Feeling a small step removed from them, rather than dropped in the middle.  
Of course, not every monster was going to be put off by Undyne's presence. She had to hint to a couple of monsters to back off- and hinting wasn't her strong point. Napstablook also came over to say hi- although they left quickly, despite both Undyne and Frisk telling them they didn't have to. Finally, a familiar voice called to them over the chatter, and Frisk turned to see Papyrus coming towards them, followed by Sans.

They all greeted each other enthusiastically- although it was clear, as he rubbed the top of his skull, that Papyrus wished Undyne was a little less enthusiastic- and they started to wander around again. They were a group now, and Frisk was somewhat tucked in the middle. They still got called to, though.  
"You alright, kid?" Sans always noticed. They could lie, of course, but he would know. They shrugged.  
"I'm okay, just, you know..."  
"Not great with crowds." Frisk grimaced at him.  
"Why did you ask if you knew the answer?" He shrugged, not saying anything.  
They all stopped to talk to Asgore. Frisk gave him a big hug- his weren't as painful as Undyne's, or as pointy as Papyrus'. He was quietly happy, and for a little while they all stood together- but his approachable demeanour resulted in more people coming to talk to Frisk, and they ended up slipping away into his house, leaving everyone behind.

They had a bedroom here; large and airy, the wide window let in plenty of light, good for painting. Perhaps that was what they should do. They placed a heavy sheet of white card on their easel, and pulled on an old shirt and an apron to protect their clothes.  
They couldn't really celebrate with the rest of the monsters; they thought they had wanted to, but really, they just wanted to celebrate with their parents and their closest friends. The crowds set them on edge. They were getting better about it- and monsters never made them as nervous as other humans- but it was still enough to rob some of their pleasure in the day.

They would find their own, though. They squeezed paints of different colours onto a palette and glanced out the window. Even if they had had the ability and patience, they didn't have the time to accurately capture the scene below; but they could do something more abstract. A gathering of varied lights dancing in the trees. They started to lay out colour; not worrying too much about the end result, just enjoying the swirl of the brush and the blending of colours.  
So caught up in their creative flow, the didn't notice they had company until they stood back to examine their work and see what to do next. Then their father's deep voice made them jump.

"It's a beautiful day. It's a shame for you to stay inside."  
They flushed; putting down the palette and brush, they turned to him. "Um... I know. I just-"  
"Don't like crowds?" Frisk frowned at Asgore. For a moment they wondered if Sans had said something; but that wouldn't be like him at all. It was more likely that Asgore had put the clues together. They hadn't done a good job of hiding them.  
He sighed into the silence and came over. "I did wonder if this would happen," he said, picking up one of Frisk's paint rags and taking their hands. He wiped their fingers as he spoke. "I should have kept a closer eye on you."  
"It's okay. I didn't have an anxiety attack, I kept control over it." Frisk smiled at him; he caught their eye and smiled back.  
"Well, if you're up for it, I had planned to show you- I set up a table, for you and your friends, away from the other tables. And I made your favourite bean burgers- we can see how well they barbecue."

"You did?!" This got the reaction Asgore hoped for; Frisk smiled wider, eager. "Did you also-"  
"Yes," he grinned, "I also got you some corn on the cob, that can go on as well. And we have tomatoes and mushrooms to put on."  
Frisk moved to hug him; but stopped, looking at their apron. He helped undo it and pulled it over their head.  
"You should wash," he said, "before you get more paint all over yourself." He steered Frisk to the bathroom, where they saw he was right- somehow, despite their best efforts, they had a blob of blue on their nose, and a long smear of orange across one cheek. They took care washing their hands, trying not to scratch off the silver nail polish they had painted on, before scrubbing their face.

When they joined their friends, they were pink-cheeked but clean. Toriel had joined them; she gave Frisk a hug, and they thought it was likely Asgore had mentioned where they had gone to her. She was sat at an opposite corner of the large picnic table to her ex-husband; Sans has saved Frisk the corner across from her.  
There were a few of these tables dotted around; the monsters with fire magic were the only ones Asgore had wanted cooking food on open fires, but there were dishes laid out and huge barbecues and cooking pits were starting to fill the air with a smoky smell. Many people had contributed- although a lot of the food was being saved for the evening celebrations, there was plenty here, for everyone to share. Asgore had stacked the food he'd prepared on a table near theirs, with a barbecue nearby. Frisk noted a large bowl of spaghetti nestled in with their salads and burgers- and a few of Sans' hot dogs. At least Papyrus had rapidly improved with access to human cooking books, shows, and Frisk and Toriel helping, but old habits died hard and Frisk suspected it would only be eaten by unsuspecting monsters with no idea who made it.

Once Mettaton arrived, Frisk didn't get any more unwanted attention; he had become even more of a celebrity, at least as far as the monsters were concerned. Purely being a monster celebrity had given him some quick recognition on the internet; but he was finding that becoming a star amongst humans was quite different to being one in the monster community.  
His love of attention and "spending time with the audience" took a lot of pressure off Frisk and they relaxed; enjoying the sun, the food, the positivity; the chatter of their friends, of Undyne winding up Papyrus and Sans dropping the occasional gag between his platefuls of food. Frisk, instead of getting up to get their own, picked at the food he was helping himself to- the reason they gave was that it made his portions and frequent trips for more look more justifiable, but the reality was that they just didn't want to get up. If they stayed as they were, they wouldn't miss anything and nothing had to change.

Asgore got up to start cooking food on the barbecue; Sans continued to get enough to share, although Frisk noted that he was eating less, and getting their favourite foods more. He was also quite quiet, and what he did say seemed to be jokes designed to divert attention from himself- usually by getting a reaction from his brother.  
During one particularly loud back-and-forth across the table between Papyrus and Undyne, Frisk nudged him. "Are you okay?"  
There was a pause before he replied. "Just enjoying everyone being happy."  
"Are you happy?"

"Yeah kid, I am. Are you?"

Frisk beamed, and nodded. They were.

* * *

It didn't escape their notice, however, that as the afternoon wore on and the sun started to lower, that he was slowly being less and less outgoing- and less convincing when he said he was okay, pulling out jokes and pranks to distract the others. Frisk wasn't fooled; but they were too distracted by the celebrations to dig into the reasons why, a fact that Sans used to divert their attention more than once. As the sun started to touch the horizon, and a hush fell over the monsters gathered near the entrance to the Underground, they realised he was nowhere to be seen.

If Sans didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. For all Frisk knew, he could have gone back into the Underground, or he could have headed further down the mountain, where they had built shops and hotels to accommodate humans and monsters together; he could have gone somewhere else entirely, for all Frisk knew. Still, they had to try. They slipped away, sending a text to both Toriel and Asgore once they were gone, saying they needed a little space and would be back soon, and not to worry.  
They managed to reach the entrance to the mountain without being stopped by anyone. He wasn't there. They headed in to where the barrier had been; then beyond, to where they had woken after it had been broken. They continued on, past the throne room, to the long, golden corridor, where dying sunlight forged pillars; the corridor where Sans had "judged" Frisk for their actions, and spoke of their determination to do the right thing.  
He wasn't there either.

Frisk returned to the surface. They couldn't wander the entire Underground to try to find him, even if they thought it was likely they would find him. They pulled out their phone. One last attempt. In hindsight perhaps it should have been their first.  
As the phone started to ring in their ear, they heard a jingle from nearby. They spun around, trying to see where in the trees it was coming from, when a light caught their eye. They hung up as they made out Sans, leaning against a tree, holding up his phone as if it were a beacon.  
They sat next to him as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.  
"Remember sittin' here last year, Frisk?" Frisk looked around and realised- this was the tree they had leaned against, talking, or just sitting in comfortable silence with him until they had fallen asleep. They gave him a concerned smile.  
"I hope you're not going to fall asleep this time. I don't think I could manage to carry you home."  
"Nah. Just thinkin', kid."  
"What about?"  
"D'you remember the first night we were out here? What we talked about?" Frisk nodded. "You still worry about losing all this?"  
Frisk bit their lip. "Sometimes, I guess? But... not as often, any more. I'm doing better. What about you?"  
"Sometimes," Sans repeated. "You can't know what it was like, kid. To know that, no matter what we did, one day... We'd lose it all, no warning, no memories. Just reset. Thought you were behind it, for a while."  
"Is that why, uh... if you hadn't promised Toriel..."  
"You remember that, huh?" Sans shrugged. "Part of it, yeah. Point is, sometimes it's hard to believe this isn't going to disappear."  
"Sans..."  
"I'm okay, kid." He grinned at Frisk. "Just... thinking. You should go back."  
"No." They hunched down against the tree. "I'm not leaving you alone."  
He sighed. They sat there together, the chatter of celebration more distant than last year; but more real. Frisk _did_ belong. This was real. They just wished they could help their closest friend feel the same- but he, along with Toriel and Asgore, had told Frisk that same sentiment before. They knew that there were times it didn't help. They hated feeling like there was nothing they could say or do, so they just leaned against him, reminding him that they were there. No matter what he expected to happen, they could remind him that right now, he wasn't alone.

After a while, he shifted. "Okay, kid. Come on. Let's go celebrate."  
"Are you feeling better?" Frisk sat up and turned to look at him.  
"I told you- I'm okay. Just thinkin'." They pouted at him. "But yeah, I'm feeling better," he relented. They beamed and jumped to their feet.  
They trudged through the trees together; not saying anything. He didn't suggest a "short cut", so it was a few minutes before they rejoined their friends, letting the quiet between them only be interrupted by the chatter from the monsters around them. Toriel didn't say anything when they rejoined their group- although her look made Frisk suspect that she would have words for them later- and Asgore simply squeezed their shoulder, clearly concerned but knowing they wouldn't want a fuss.

Their friends, though, had no such restraint. Papyrus' loud concern for his human friend was coloured only by his frustration that Sans was even slacking off from celebrating; Undyne grabbed Frisk, completely messing up their hair before they squirmed free. They pouted and let it down, before jabbing her in the side. Alphys watched, amused, until Undyne decided to lift her shrieking onto her shoulders.  
Frisk caught Sans' eyes. He was a master at hiding his expressions, but they were getting pretty good at seeing through him and they thought that he was happy. They beamed at him, and he winked back. The people they cared about most in the world were all here, and all happy, and all celebrating.

For this moment, what more could they ask for?


	25. Night Sky

Thanks to the full day and the long, late night of celebrating, it was afternoon by the time Frisk got up. They had expected Toriel to wake them earlier- she had said that she didn't want them to ruin their sleeping- but they weren't sorry to have slept so long.  
They got up to fully open the window. There was revelry outside, either restarted or still continuing; not as noisy as the day before, but present none the less. They smiled and leaned against the windowsill, enjoying the breeze, gazing out the window at Toriel's garden, primarily being used by Asgore and Frisk; his garden was to teach them how to grow food and flowers, this one was for putting it into practice however they chose. There were birds enjoying the sunlight, splashing and bathing in the large birdbath. They made a mental note to give their plants some water later.

They eventually straightened up and stretched, yawning. They picked up a t-shirt as they headed to the door, pulling it on as they left the room, padding barefoot to the top of the stairs.  
There were voices.  
They paused, listening. They couldn't hear any words, but they could easily pick out gentle tones of Toriel, and the deeper words of Sans. Perhaps her laughter had woken them; she wasn't laughing now, but Frisk knew that the bad jokes that had started their friendship continued to this day. They heard no other voices taking part in their conversation- perhaps it was just the two of them.  
Frisk tried to sneak down the stairs, to see if they could hear what they were talking about. They didn't want to intrude if they would be unwelcome; but they did want to see Sans before he left.  
The first words they made out, however, were from him.  
"Sounds like they're up now."  
They were rumbled. They had time to straighten up and start making their way casually down the stairs before Toriel poked her head around the door and smiled up at them.

"Ah! There you are, my dear. We were just talking about you."  
"Oh- should I, um, go back upstairs?"  
"No, no, do not be silly. Come and have some breakfast- there are lots of leftovers that need to be eaten."  
She passed through the hallway into the kitchen, and Frisk followed. She hadn't been wrong- from pie to some of Papyrus' spaghetti, a greater selection that they remembered seeing her prepare loaded their fridge and sat on the counter. It seemed she'd brought home quite the variety. They bit their lip, unsure.

"Do you not know what to have?" Toriel leaned over their head to move things. She'd been much more concerned about what they ate since she'd started researching the effects of food on the human body with Alphys- gone were the days of pie for every meal, although she still firmly believed in good food and regular treats, so Frisk didn't mind too much. They watched as she pulled out one of the many bowls.  
"Would you like it if I made you a salad, to go with these curried chickpeas?" Frisk nodded; it was too warm for hot food or anything heavy.  
"Very well- I will do that, if you would like to see our guest." Frisk gave her a hug and ran off to do so.

He was sat at the dining room table, an empty plate in front of him and one of Frisk's sketchbooks in his hand. It was the one that tended to stay in the dining room for when they were hit with the urge to draw- as such, it wasn't too personal, although it still felt a little awkward to see him idly looking through it. Mostly filled with sketches of their friends and parents, they had to wonder if any of them had caught his eye.  
"Heyy, good morning Frisk." He grinned at them over the sketchbook. "Thought you were gonna sleep all day."  
"Yeah..." Frisk sat next to him and helped themself to his tea. "I don't know why Toriel didn't wake me up, but I'm not complaining! But, uh, I might if she makes me go to bed at the same time as usual." They pulled a face.  
"Wouldn't worry about that, kiddo."  
"Is this where you tell me what you two were saying about me?"  
"It might be. Maybe I should tell you about Papyrus' new puzzle ideas instead."

Frisk groaned and stuck their tongue out at him. He chuckled.  
"Okay, kid. How'd you like to come and look at the stars with me?"  
Frisk turned to look out the window. "I think it's a bit late for that."  
"Well, there's one star we could look at..."  
"Hmm. No, I like being able to see, thanks."  
"Heh. Seriously, though. Do you want to?"  
"Sure! I mean- is that what you were talking about, is it okay with mum?"  
Sans seemed happy at their answer. "Sure was. Since you were up so late last night and there's no school, I figured she might finally agree to it- your sleeping's already messed up. Plus there might be some stuff of interest up there tonight."  
"' _Finally_ agree to it'?" Frisk frowned, confused. "I only asked her once, in the winter holiday, and she said it was too cold... Did you mention it to her since then?"  
He looked down at the sketchbook. "I brought it up a couple of times, yeah. You know," he changed the subject, "these are pretty good, kiddo. You've improved a lot."

His attempt at a distraction worked; and even after Toriel brought in Frisk's breakfast, she had to remind them to eat it, as they wanted to talk about their drawings and get some of their other books to share. She finally got them to sit and eat only after Sans made plans to meet them that evening and left.

* * *

After getting up so late the day felt short to Frisk, even with the sun starting to set a little later every week; it was well after their usual bed time when Toriel fussed over them as they prepared to leave. They'd had dinner late, and she'd made them pack a jumper and a pair of trousers, despite the warmth of the night; they were relieved to finally get out the house without more than that. Sans had given them a rough idea of where to find him- the path up the mountain and away from the village was rarely walked but had been paved regardless, luminescent mushrooms lining the path and avoiding a misstep on clouded, dark nights.  
Not that there was any risk of that tonight, they mused as they made their way towards it; the sky was perfect for stargazing, the stars and moon bright and not a cloud to be seen. The path wound past Alphys' lab- that was as far as Frisk usually went, but they continued past the familiar turning. The path twisted and turned through the trees that the monsters had seen little reason to remove; crickets chirped and a soft hoot of an owl filled the air. The stars were so clear here, vivid and bright, especially tonight, without the fires of celebration; no light pollution to diminish them. Frisk stopped to gaze up at them, millions of pinpricks of light; clusters and scatters, some barely visible and others so large they'd be visible even in the cities.

They continued. The sky was beautiful, but Sans would be waiting to experience it together. They continued on as the path came to the banks of the stream. The sound of the water in the dark was soothing- it amazed them the way the world came alive when everyone was in bed. It wasn't quiet or still, it was full of tiny movements and sounds, and Frisk was part of it.  
They were, in fact, a very warm part of it. The sun was not long down; the spring air would cool soon enough, but for now the evening still held the memory of sunlight and their bag was heavy; the exertion warmed them, and they weren't sorry to hear the rush of water from ahead.  
The small waterfall was where Sans said he would be. They picked up the pace; from here, they couldn't see him, even with the stars and moonlight, but he would be there. They didn't doubt it for a moment.

The stones underfoot became damp as they reached the waterfall. They stopped and took a deep breath, savouring the clean air and the light mist on their face, before glancing around. Their eyes searched the dim light as they slowly spun in place, searching.  
They had walked past him. He was leaning against a tree, facing them; his skull bright where the moonlight filtered through the branches and his eyes glowing, fixed on them. They smiled and headed over; not wanting to say anything, as if the magic of the night would be broken if they made too much noise.  
Sans had no such qualms. "'Sup, Frisk. You ready?"  
"Yes!" Their voice came out as a whisper- albeit an enthusiastic one. Sans' eyes shone and as he shifted position, they could read the amusement on his face.

"This way then." He headed through the trees and off the path. Frisk followed; their eyes down to make sure they didn't stumble. They had been told not to wander away from the paths around the village- but they were with Sans, and their only concern was not mentioning it to Toriel.  
They became aware of him walking alongside them instead of in front of them; touching their elbow to steer them around trees that they were too busy staring at the ground to see. He used his magic to shine a gentle light on the ground, making it a little easier on them; and he caught their arm when they caught their foot on a branch and stumbled. After that, he held their arm tucked in his.  
It added to the magic of the night. With him guiding them they were able to look up more, at the trees and the shafts of moonlight through them. There wasn't too much underbrush- at least along the route he was taking them- and it was peaceful and serene, only their steps louder than the quiet whisper of the trees or the scurrying of some nocturnal creature. With Sans' arm holding theirs and the feeling that they were utterly safe with him, they felt as though there was only the two of them in the entire world; nothing to hurt them or to clamour for their attention. There was only this, the here and now.

Finally they came out in a clearing. A great tree had fallen here; a hint of roots still visible to the air, but the branches- they hung out over nothingness. A cliff fell away and Frisk felt a sudden twist in their stomach at what could have happened if they had been here, in the dark, alone.  
They weren't, though. A section of the tree's trunk had crudely carved away to form a makeshift bench, on which sat a bag and a couple of blankets. And in the middle was set up a telescope.  
This was what Sans had wanted to share with them.

"Wow," they breathed. They let go of his arm and stepped as close as they dared to the cliff- it wasn't too high, but the ground below was rocky, resulting in a wider area without trees to obscure the sky. They could see the gleam of moonlight off dark water below, between the rocks and the distant treeline.  
They were aware of Sans stepping up next to them as they breathed in lungfuls of air, lifting their arms to feel the gentle breeze come up from the cliff.  
"Want to take a proper look over it?"  
"Huh?" Frisk turned to look at him, confused. His face was easy to see in the moonlight; but not so easy to read.  
He raised one hand, his left eye starting to glow; a slight answering shimmer around his hand as he flexed his fingers meaningfully.  
"Oh, um... If... Is that safe? I mean-"  
"I won't drop you, kiddo."  
Frisk gazed at him for a long moment. Fear niggled at them, the memory of falling threatened to make the decision for them; but when he said that he wouldn't drop them, they believed it, completely. They nodded and the strange weightlessness instantly enveloped them as he lifted them off their feet; elevating them up, so they could see above the trees.

"Oh... Wow, this is- Wow!" Frisk laughed, no longer feeling the need to stay hushed; they slowly spun in place to look over the cliff. "I can see- lights in the distance, and then the sky and the stars, and... Oh, the trees..." They were no words for the sight they were seeing; silver lining the trees and the brilliant uncountable sparkles in the sky, mirrored far in the distance by a small collection of lights from some town; the bright reflection of the moon on the lake they could now discern below, shining as bright as the one in the sky. They felt like they'd been shown a secret nobody else had ever seen before- and as they glanced down, they realised that it was probable that nobody had. Not from here, with nothing holding them up from a terrifying fall but the blue glow of magic.  
"I- I think I want to come down, now," Frisk said, their voice strangled. Sans complied immediately, placing them expertly on their feet. They were getting used to him lifting them by now- but never before had they been so relieved to have solid ground under them, nor so moved by what they had seen. They stepped away from the edge as Sans got his breath back.  
"Whew- good thing you didn't want to stay up there all night, buddy. You okay?"

"Okay?" Frisk laughed. "I- wow. Thank you! That was... Amazing. This place is amazing! Thank you for bringing me here."  
"Heh." Sans didn't look at Frisk; he looked touched, but a little embarrassed. "No worries, bucko. Glad you liked it." He busied himself at the telescope, his face hidden in the darkness.  
Frisk headed over to the seat and ran one hand along it. It wasn't as rough to the touch as it looked; they weren't likely to get a splinter from it. There were points where it was smoother, worn, where the signs of the tools used to carve it out had been worn away by use.  
"Was this all your doing?"  
"I didn't uproot the tree," Sans said, glancing over his shoulder at them.  
"You know that's not what I meant!"  
He leaned back. "I had to have somewhere to sit, didn't I?"

Frisk sat next to the blankets. "How long have you been coming out here?"  
Sans came over and sat next to them. "I found this place pretty soon after we left the Underground.  
Frisk looked over the cliff. "It's... beautiful here."  
Sans' gaze was fixed on the heavens instead of the horizon. "I agree with you there, kiddo."

There was a peaceful pause between them. The quiet rustle of the trees and the distant hooting of the owl lulled Frisk, and they found themself starting to get sleepy. They leaned against Sans, looking upwards with half-closed eyes.  
They felt him shift before they really processed what they had seen; then they sat up, too.  
"You saw that?"  
"Yup. I read there was supposed to be a few meteors visible tonight and tomorrow night. Too bad it wasn't last night."  
"With all the fires, it might have been hard to see them..."  
"You know, kid, monsters used to wish on little... shining rocks, in a certain area of Waterfall. We didn't have stars."  
"Yeah... I know." Frisk looked at him; his eyes were still scanning the sky, and they turned their own gaze back upwards. "Humans wish on shooting stars. I guess because you've got to be lucky to see one, it makes it more meaningful or something."  
"Did you make a wish?"  
"No... It was gone before I realised what I was seeing!" Frisk pouted. "Maybe we'll see another one. Did you make a wish?"  
"Yeah, I wished-"  
"Nooooo!" Frisk flailed dramatically at him, overbalancing themself. He didn't catch them this time, letting them roll onto the ground giggling. "You're not supposed to tell!"

"Heh. Alright, bucko, maybe I should actually show you what I brought you here for, before you fall asleep on me."  
Frisk watched him step over them, sitting up once he was clear. "You didn't bring me here to show me this place?"  
"Nah- not just that." He crouched next to the telescope. Frisk headed over.  
"It's not just going to leave ink all around my eye, is it?"  
"Nope."  
"Okay..." Frisk knelt down and looked into the eye piece.

If they had thought the night sky looked clear and bright before, it was nothing to what they saw through the telescope. Tiny specks of light too small to be seen by the naked eye were thrown into sharp relief, and the larger stars were bold and bright, vivid in the circle of sky.  
They felt Sans' hand on their shoulder and pulled back. He pointed into the sky, guiding their line of sight; telling them what stars to look at, and where to look from them. They followed his words, looking from the sky to the telescope and back, until they could see the exact collection of stars it was trained on.  
Even Frisk had heard of Cassiopeia; they listened silently as Sans pointed out the individual stars and mentioned the mythical queen the constellation was named after. Then he took over the telescope and found Cepheus, showing that one to Frisk; talking of the husband of Cassiopeia, and the five stars that made up his constellation.  
They had never given much thought to the names and stories given to the stars before. But as they looked at the stars, listening to Sans talk with more animation than they'd ever heard before, they could see the magic in the tiny pricks of light, so far beyond their reach. They were sure they could listen to him talk about them for hours.

* * *

It turned out that Frisk could _not_ listen to Sans talk for hours- at least, not when it was past midnight. They awoke with a start, startled out of their jumbled dreams, memories of sleeping rough, confused for a brief moment as to where they were.  
The stars above them and the slow breathing of Sans were enough to remind them. They took a deep breath of the fresh air to centre themself and shifted position. A thick blanket had been tucked around them and they shivered as it fell off; there was a breeze, and the air felt cool and damp, a lot different to the warmth of the evening.

They carefully sat up, wrapping the blanket back around themself. They had fallen asleep on the bench, the other blanket as a pillow. Sans was sat next to them, his head lolling onto his shoulder as he slept.  
Trying not to wake him, they shook out the blanket their head had been resting on and started to tuck it around him.  
"You know I don't get cold, right kid?"  
Frisk frowned; he lifted his head, his eyes half open and trained on their face. "I... forgot." They paused; then continued anyway, snuggling up to him and wrapping the blanket around both of them. Now they had two blankets, and their friend as a pillow. Yawning widely, they curled up, their head on his shoulder.  
"S'this okay?" Their voice was heavy with sleep. They felt Sans free one hand and pat their head.  
"It's fine, buddy. I can take you home if you want, though."  
Frisk shook their head. "No... Go back to sleep." That was all they wanted to do- to stay here, while the night was still fresh and wonderful. To stay here, in this beautiful place, with their friend and the stars overhead; the whispering of the trees as a lullaby, and the dawn chorus of birds- already starting to warm their voices- to wake them to the bright new day.

* * *

 _This chapter almost didn't happen- then I looked back and realised that I'd never had Sans and Frisk watching the stars together, and that there's no place it would fit better than here. So, because Sans apparently doesn't get enough focus, he gets a chapter which was always and only about him and Frisk._

 _...I'm not too sad about that. I love this chapter. It's just fluff, really highlighting how they're happy and comfortable to simply be together and there's not always angst. And Sans shares something personal that's come to mean a lot to him with Frisk. I wanted to work in Frisk making a joke about the sky and his hoodie, but it didn't fit and felt forced- so rest assured, he's wearing the hoodie they gave him a few chapters ago!_

 _I sincerely apologise to anyone who actually loves stargazing though, hopefully this chapter isn't horrendously unrealistic._

 _-Ren_


	26. Work Out

"Come on, punk! Move faster!"  
Frisk panted; their face was damp with sweat, their arms screamed, but they swung themself to the next bar, and then the next. Undyne's yell to move _faster_ seemed absurd- it was all they could do was keep moving at all, panting and watching the end of the bars get closer, forcing themself on.  
They were almost there. The relief of reaching the end gave them a spike of energy; and gritting their teeth, they pushed faster, forcing on. Undyne's next words almost caused them to falter- almost.  
"Okay, Frisk, when you reach the end, don't just drop off! Turn yourself around and climb up!"

Whimpering, they did so; arms shaking, legs flailing, they managed to drag themself up, before collapsing onto the top of the bars.  
"Great work! Don't stop moving, though!" Undyne's energy and enthusiasm was somewhat infectious, and she refused to ever let her kids give up. She was, Frisk thought, a pretty good gym teacher- over the past year, they'd become physically much stronger and faster than they'd ever been, and only some of that was due to playing and climbing in the woods or the good food they now ate. They enjoyed spending the time with Undyne, as well- even if sometimes they cursed her for how hard she pushed them- to the point that, even in the holiday, only days after being up all night watching the stars, here they were, working out with her. They knew their friend enjoyed the excuse to yell someone into finding joy in challenging exercise, too.  
They dropped down from the bars. The workout area doubled as a playground behind the school; built primarily from wood and stone, with metal bars painted an emerald green to compliment the natural surroundings. Unlike the front, which was neat and well-trimmed, back here was wild and fun. The kids loved it, and they loved Undyne's classes- right up to the point where they remembered how hard they were.

"Come on, move those feet!" Frisk started doing little jumps; then, at her command, they scrambled up a climbing frame of wood, ropes, and bars. She timed them reaching the top; then them getting back down. She timed them climbing their favourite tree; then had them back on the climbing frame, getting them to touch every rope with their left hand.  
Eventually, it was all over. Frisk flopped on the grass, panting, while Undyne wrote down all their times.  
"Good work, punk!" She gave them a big, toothy grin. "We'll get you into shape yet!"  
"Wh- I'm already in shape!" Frisk forced themself to sit, their arms shaking and their sweaty t-shirt sticking to them.  
"Hah! You spend too much time sitting around drawing." After their stargazing, they couldn't argue- they'd been so busy with their inspiration to paint and draw they'd neglected their exercise. This was the first time they'd even left the house since then.  
She extended a webbed hand and pulled them to their feet. "You said you wanted to be strong- like me!"  
"I'll never be strong like _you_ ," Frisk said, smiling back. "But... yeah. Strong is good! As long as I don't end up all... bulky and muscle-y and gross, looking like- _urgh_ \- Aaron."  
" _I_ don't look like that," Undyne pointed out as they walked into the changing rooms, where Frisk grabbed their towel and a change of clothes and entered a shower cubicle. She leaned against the wall, continuing the conversation through the door as Frisk stripped and got under the cool water.  
"You really think you'll end up like that?"  
"Well- more, uh, human-shaped." Frisk let the water wash the sweat from their face. Undyne didn't change the subject as they washed, and they continued, their thoughts swirling around their mind. "But I do worry. I mean... What if I look like Dad in five years?"  
Undyne snorted. "Somehow I doubt that."  
"...Yeah, I know it's not _likely_." Frisk shut off the water and pulled down their towel, starting to rub themself down. "So, uh, you said you wanted to go to the beach while the school's on break?"

The change of subject worked. They pulled their clothes on while Undyne took over talking; excited about getting to go in the sea, about everyone getting a chance to hang out on the beach together. She almost said something about Alphys in a swimsuit, promptly changing her sentence when Frisk came out of the cubicle, smirking slightly.  
"How about you, punk? You're coming, right?!"  
"Of course! I mean-" Frisk remembered themself, pausing while they bundled everything into their bag. "I should talk to my mum about it first, but we've mentioned it before, so I'm sure it's fine. I doubt she'd come, but I'll try."  
"There's a lot of monsters who want to come- Alphys suggested hiring a minibus and someone to drive it?" Undyne was clearly waiting for Frisk's thoughts on the subject; they widened their eyes and shrugged, before doing their shirt up.  
"I guess? I don't know anything about how to do that... But if Alphys and Toriel think it's okay, then we could make a big day of it." Frisk straightened their shirt and swung their bag on their back, scanning the room to make sure they hadn't missed anything. They walked out into the sun together.

The front of the school had the most carefully trimmed hedges and the neatest path in the town. Frisk grinned at a particular sculpture at the front- they had long ago asked Asgore to trim a bush to resemble Papyrus' grin; he had been as good as his word, and the skeleton had been incredibly touched- and excited- by the gesture. Frisk had never seen the need to mention that they were behind it.

The pair of them headed towards home, chatting about the beach, what they would need, and when it was likely to happen. Having settled on a date- two days before most monsters would go back to work or to school- Frisk said goodbye to Undyne, looking forward to some good food and figuring out how to make the beach trip happen with Toriel.  
She was sat in a chair outside the house, reading in the sun. She beamed when she saw Frisk approaching, closing her book and placing it on her lap.  
"Ah- there you are, my dear! Did you enjoy your morning with Undyne?"  
"It was, uh... Vigorous?" Toriel chuckled.  
"Well, would you like to help me prepare lunch?"  
Frisk agreed and they entered the house together. Frisk left their bag on the table- many of the monsters still preferred to wash clothes by hand, and Toriel was one of them, especially after seeing some of the more adventurous ruin their clothes with machines. They would help her with it later.  
For now, they joined her in the kitchen. She had cooked some beans and lentils, and was pulling out some vegetables from the fridge. Frisk pulled some herbs out as well and arranged them on the counter.  
Together, they set to work; talking about Frisk's morning workout and the conversation afterwards. Toriel liked the idea of the beach- there was one not too distant from their home, close enough for a day trip, although certainly far enough to require some planning. She was a little reluctant to join them- not wanting to infringe on Frisk's time with their friends, and still being rather wary of being out in human society- but she promised to consider it.

* * *

Word spread fast, though. Soon, it wasn't just Frisk's group of friends who wanted to go. The dogs were first; the married couple speaking for the rest of them, excited to visit somewhere new. Greater Dog- or Grey, as Frisk had taken to calling him- came with them, more because he wanted to spend time with Frisk than out of curiosity about the trip. When they left he'd coated their clothes with long white hairs. Not that that was new to Frisk, considering their parents.

When Frisk went to talk to Alphys about the trip she was, thankfully, was one step ahead of them; she had heard the whispers going around and had looked into hiring buses. By this point, there were more requests to join the party than Frisk could handle- and they hid themself in her lounge, while she arranged the transport and sent Undyne to deal with the requests to join them.  
Even Toriel had agreed to come; as had Asgore. Alphys had nudged Frisk and giggled at that news- she hadn't given up hope of their reconciling, even a year later. Frisk was becoming more nervous at the size of the group- but more than that, they were excited. A day to see new sights, to sit in the sun and simply enjoy being with their friends. A day to simply be, with no pressures and no expectations.

* * *

 _I think this is the first chapter I've done that focuses primarily on Frisk and Undyne. That feels a bit wrong- but at the same time, I feel like she's less likely to provoke real character development with Frisk, as much as they'd like her company. She's kicked off plans for a trip to the beach, though._

 _Any ideas on other ways to work in the characters I don't cover much? I'm looking for ways of exploring the different relationships and character development once the next few chapters are done, so if there's anything you'd be interested in seeing me take on, let me know! No promises, but it might inspire a few ideas._

 _-Ren_


	27. Journey

The day dawned bright and warm. It no longer felt like late spring- the weather declared itself summer no matter what the calender said, and it was a fine day for their trip. Everyone who was going was getting ready, double-checking everything, heading further down the mountain to where the road started, surrounded by the new shops and hotels. There, the bus awaited, booked by Alphys and paid for by Toriel and Asgore.  
Frisk was in their room going through their backpack, watched by Toriel, who had a bag of her own- a larger one, with a towel half-spilling out the top of it. Their bag had a change of clothes, some sun cream, a bottle of water, a ball, a book ("why are you taking books?" Toriel had asked, as she put her own books in her bag), a sketchbook and a pencil case. They had decided to leave their phone at home, just in case; Toriel had got a camera just for the occasion.

Papyrus, Sans, Undyne and Alphys had all come over for breakfast- Frisk hadn't eaten much, their official excuse being that they didn't want to need the toilet half-way there. Alphys hadn't even considered the need for a bus with a toilet; Frisk wasn't too concerned, since it would probably be about an hour's journey, but excitement had left their stomach feeling knotted and while their friends wolfed down their pie Frisk had had trouble eating half of theirs. They'd left to check their bag- again- too soon to see whether Papyrus or Sans ended up eating the remains of their breakfast. It was probably Sans, they figured.  
They applied some sun cream once Toriel was satisfied with the contents of their bag, before heading downstairs to join everyone. Toriel was trying to shepherd them out of the house, but Undyne and Papyrus seemed to be trying to talk over each other about something. They changed the subject once they saw Frisk to how good it was they had joined them and how they could get underway at last. Toriel huffed and rolled her eyes as everyone finally left the house under Frisk's instruction, and they all headed down through the houses to the lower part of town to join the other monsters already massing outside the bus.  
It seemed everyone was waiting for them to board first. Frisk wasn't sorry for it; they instantly headed to the back of the bus, where they could sit in the corner and avoid having anyone sat behind them. Undyne and Papyrus had a brief tussle over who would sit next to Frisk, neither of them noticing Sans seating himself next to them and Alphys claiming the seat in front. They both complained once they paid attention- but Undyne plonked herself next to her girlfriend, promptly turning around to peer over the seats and grin at them. Papyrus sat next to his brother; once Toriel had finished talking to the driver, she claimed the rest of the back row, taking up the better part of two seats.

Frisk stared out the window at the monsters gathering and filing onto the bus. They'd demanded Alphys be picky about the company she went with; the pair of them convinced Undyne to make the initial calls for quotes, making sure she told them it would be a bus full of monsters. How they reacted to the information decided whether or not they would even consider that company; the only reaction this particular company had given was a pause before pointing out the road didn't go directly to their village. The driver, too, was professional, if a little lost for words; Frisk could see her from where they were sat, and she seemed most taken aback by the monsters that looked like animals- especially the dogs, who behaved more like their animal counterparts than most, and Bob the temmie. For some reason he was the only one to have ventured out of the tucked away temmie village for the trip- which Frisk wasn't sorry for, since they were allergic to the odd little monsters.  
They tuned out the excitement of their friends in favour of quiet, happy nerves and watching the others climb on the bus. Asgore was the last; the monsters had saved him a seat at the front, and he'd been making notes and making sure everyone was on board. Frisk felt the bus sink slightly as he stepped on board and spoke to the driver; then he was finally seated, and the engine hummed to life. A roar of excitement pulsed through the bus, fading down to hush as it started to move. Alphys was gripping Undyne's hand.  
As they started to travel down the road around the mountain, Asgore was the first to speak. In the quiet, as everyone seemed almost to be holding their breath, his deep, slow voice carried all the way to the back of the bus.  
"Gosh, this is exciting!"  
A ripple of laughter broke the spell, and a hum of conversation ensued. Their friends had helped Frisk make sure everyone knew how to behave- to stay relatively quiet, and seated, and avoid being disruptive or distracting the driver. This was most taxing on Lesser Dog- nicknamed Les by Frisk- who managed to stay sat on his seat, panting with excitement, but his neck extended long enough for him to look out the windows on the other side of the bus.

Frisk alternated between listening to the conversations around them and watching out the window themself, as they moved onto a motorway and picked up speed. Sans nudged them at one point and asked if they were okay; their grin convinced him that they were, and he was content to join them in looking out the window, occasionally talking about the things they saw; being overtaken by a vintage car, the expressions of passengers in other cars who looked into the bus, or a flock of seagulls soaring overhead. At some point he moved, making way so Toriel could take his place and ask how Frisk was. She got the same beam from them, and likewise joined them in watching what passed.  
Given the weight of the assorted monsters, the bus didn't move at great speed; but despite that, it felt like very little time at all before Frisk spotted the ocean as they reached the top of a low hill. They gasped and grabbed Toriel's arm; she stared, confused for a moment, before her eyes widened.  
"Is that-"  
"The sea!" Frisk hadn't meant to speak so loudly; the bus fell quiet as everyone tried to spot it, then a babble erupted, louder than any since they'd got underway. Now that Frisk knew they were close they were convinced they could smell the brine and seaweed in the air; a scent unlike anything they'd smelled before. Undyne was fidgeting, eager, and Papyrus was scarcely able to keep his seat- although he rarely sat still for such a length of time anyway.  
The excited talking faded as they left the motorway, winding through countryside. This part of the journey felt longer than the rest put together, as they all watched the sea grow gradually nearer, the seagulls more frequent and noisy. Finally, as an outcropping of land was visible jutting into the ocean, the bus driver pulled into a large car park, a visitor's centre and a handful of shops nearby.

She gave Asgore directions to the beach front, and gave him the times she intended to lock up the bus to leave herself; many of them were leaving some of their belongings behind for now. The monsters were too eager to pile out to wait for him, however; Papyrus and Undyne wasted no time, and Alphys stayed close to her girlfriend. Sans, however, stuck close to Frisk as Toriel left to try and organise the monsters. There were a couple of humans who were looking more than a little surprised at who- or more precisely, _what-_ had poured from the bus.  
Frisk rose unsteadily to their feet. No monster appeared to have suffered ill effects from riding a bus for the first time; but as glad as they were glad to be getting off it, they needed a moment to feel steady on their feet. They headed up the aisle after Sans and stepped off, into the bright, hot sun and into the chaos of a busload of over-excited monsters.

* * *

 _This day was originally all one chapter that mimicked Lesser Dog- it got longer and longer, out of hand, until I was questioning my choices. I had to find good places to split it up! So apologies for the short one- I'll post the next one sooner than usual to make up for it.  
The next few chapters are inspired by a real place; a beautiful area on the south coast of England. (It doesn't hurt that every year I've visited we've had some of the best weather of the summer!) If you want to get some ideas of what I had in my mind when I was writing this and the following scenes, do an image search for the Jurassic Coast (yes, I know how awesome that sounds), Lulworth Cove, and Durdle Door. It's a stunning location that basically inspired this entire day. I hope you enjoy what's to come!_

 _-Ren_


	28. The Sea

Toriel was doing her best to call everyone to order; but with dozens of monsters all chattering and wanting to spread out, she had her work cut out for her. Frisk did their part to help, small as it was; they'd talked to Greater Dog and Lesser Dog, who were unclothed and running around, excited and barking, looking like actual dogs rather than monsters- at least, until Lesser's dog neck started to extend. Doggo had helped them translate and they'd reached an understanding- they were to wear leads and act like actual dogs in areas where it may be notable for a dog to be loose. Doggo's seeing eye dog was by far more placid than any dog monster, sat by his side panting and ready.  
They called them both over- Greater Dog stopping just short of bowling them over- and they attached leads to the pair of them. The pair of them were perfectly happy to stay by their side as long as they got regular attention; and Frisk knelt and petted them both as Asgore came off the bus, stepping casually over Lesser Dog's extending neck as he waded into the crowd. A small human family watched from a distance.

"All right, everybody!" His booming voice carried further than Toriel's gentle one and everyone turned to look at him- although some, such as Undyne and Papyrus, needed to notice the quiet surrounding them before they fell quiet themselves. "We all need to stay together, now- no getting lost, okay? Do not wander too far, and make sure someone knows if you leave the group!"  
He was surprisingly serious as he spoke, and Frisk could see how he'd been a respected king. There was a long pause; then the stern demeanour broke and he grinned. "Shall we head to the beach?!"

A roar of approval filled the air; a few startled seagulls nearby took to the air as Asgore led the way. Papyrus was always happy to be given jobs to do, and he helped Toriel keep an eye out to make sure nobody wandered off before they reached the beach.  
It didn't seem likely; everyone was eager to head onwards. They wound through the tiny village, the collection of rustic hotels and gift shops outnumbering the houses. They all stopped to exclaim over a stream boarded by a drystone wall, alive with waterfalls, reeds and ducks, before following it onwards, down a steep hill.  
The road ended at steps directly to the sandy beach. It was a beautiful cove; the land circled around, and the sandy cliffs were topped with vibrant green. Frisk took a deep breath of the sea air; everyone was silent, drinking in the view, the heat, the sea breeze.

Greater Dog was the first to break the silence; he let out a booming bark, and the group laughed and started moving again.  
It was the middle of the human's school term, so the beach was almost deserted before the monsters spilled out onto the warm sand. Undyne whooped and sprinted straight into the ocean; before turning around and bounding straight back out, yelling about it being cold. Frisk laughed, heading off to one side and kneeling down.  
"You guys did good," Frisk said; the dogs tripped over each other to lick their face at the compliment. They giggled and managed to calm them.  
"Remember not to wander away from the group, and don't go too far into the sea," they said, as they unclipped their leads. "Have fun!"

Lesser Dog was off straight away; bouncing straight past Undyne, who was wading cautiously past her ankles, not stopping until his paws couldn't touch the bottom and he swam, back and forth, grinning as many monsters laughed. Greater Dog, however, stayed near Frisk as they rubbed behind his ears.  
"Don't you want to go and play in the sea with Les?" Frisk asked. Greater Dog let out a bark and nuzzled into their hand, happily. They smiled.  
"Well..." Frisk pulled their bag off their back and thrust the leads into it before rummaging, pushing Greater Dog's nose out the way as he tried to see what they were up to and obscured their vision. Finally they pulled their hand out. "How about this?"  
They had a ball in their hand, bigger than a tennis ball and rubbery. They'd got it for this purpose, knowing how much Greater Dog loved to play- and he instantly barked and backed off, tail wagging wildly and his eyes on the ball. They laughed.  
"Okay, Grey- do you want to get it out of the water for me?" He barked again, running towards the edge of the water, before turning to watch Frisk walk over.  
The ball had a good weight to it; they lobbed it, and it went far enough for him to splash Undyne- now waist-deep- as he chased it; then he was swimming, desperately trying to snatch the ball up but getting a face full of seawater instead. Frisk giggled as he snorted and shook his head; then tried again, succeeding. He headed back over to the shore, looking shrunken as his dense, fluffy fur hung, streaming water onto the sand. Frisk accepted the ball and threw it again; and Grey was off.

"Hey- hey, like, Frisk!" They turned to look at a pair of monsters they didn't recognised. Tall and broad, wearing Hawaiian shirts and eating nice cream; one looked somewhat like a rabbit, furred and beaming. The other reminded Frisk of a reptile- maybe a gecko, smiling slightly at the rabbit, scaled cheeks tinged.  
"Heyyy, man, it's good to, like, see you here!"  
"Um." Frisk glanced from him to his companion. His voice was familiar, but... Frisk glanced at the other's scaled arms. He had fins on his head, almost like... A dragon?  
A dragon and a bunny!  
"Oh!" Frisk realised and beamed at them. "You two were the royal guards!"  
"Like, yeah, bro! That's us! Man, I owe you, like, so much. Things are so awesome now and it's 'cause of you." The dragon smiled and nodded at Frisk. "Oh- hey, your buddy's back. We'll leave you to it, but we just, like, wanted to say thanks and stuff."  
"...Thanks", the dragon monster echoed as they left. Frisk beamed at their backs before turning back to Greater Dog. He was panting around the ball, and Frisk took it and threw it back into the sea for him.

"Come on, Frisk!" Undyne called. "Come in the water!"  
They shrugged and pulled their sandals off. Leaving them a short way from the water's edge, they stood on the wet sand and let the next wave wash over their feet. After the heat of the day it felt colder than they would have guessed and they gasped; but stayed still until the water receded. Then they took another step, letting the next wave wash over their ankles.  
Greater Dog returned with that wave, and Frisk gave him a rub on the head as he gave the ball back, beaming with pride. They threw it again- and with their attention off the water, they were taken by surprise by a much larger wave splashing half-way up their shins.

They let out a shriek. Undyne laughed and called them further in; shrugging, they waded further, until the water was up to their knees. Undyne- wet now up to her shoulders, and stripped to a sports bikini- came over.  
"Come on, punk, let me take your bag to Asgore and you can come in!"  
"Oh- um... I was just going to stay on the sand," Frisk said, looking awkwardly around for their parents. They were sat on the rocks by the cliffs, talking together. "I, uh, don't want to disturb them."  
"Nah, it's fine, I'll just drop it over there and come straight back!" Undyne was tugging at their bag now.  
"W-well, I mean, I just- I, um. I can't swim," they mumbled, feeling their face warm. Undyne blinked, then shrugged.  
"So don't go that far in! I'll keep an eye on ya."  
"Oh- well- I... Oh, fine." Frisk sighed, handing over their bag and grabbing the hem of their sleeveless t-shirt. They paused. "Are you sure? I don't mind staying on the shore..."  
"Come oooon!" Undyne shook their bag at them and they groaned, pulling their t-shirt over their head. No sooner was their ponytail free of it than she snatched it from their hand and ran over the sand, picking up their sandals as she ran.

They felt hot in the face, wrapping their arms around their torso. The monsters had spread out; Papyrus and Sans were digging in the sand, with Alphys playing games nearby. Toriel and Asgore barely glanced over when Undyne dropped off their stuff. Nobody was paying any attention to them.  
Actually, someone was. They glanced around in surprise at Greater Dog, waiting patiently, ball in his mouth.  
"Oh... Grey, I'm sorry!" They let their hands fall and knelt by him, fussing him with one hand while taking the ball. "I was distracted by- eep!"  
A wave took them completely by surprise; washing over their legs, they landed on their backside on the sand and sucked in a deep breath at the cold sea water. Greater Dog quickly snapped up the ball back up before it could be washed away.

"That's one way to get you in the water!" Undyne was chuckling behind them. Frisk paused, then started laughing as well.  
"Okay- let me throw the ball for Grey and I'll come further in!" They stood up, taking the ball again and giving it a good throw. As Greater Dog bounded after it, Lesser Dog paddled over to where it had splashed into the water. Frisk watched as he circled it, waiting for his friend.  
They started to walk further in. Now that they were wet, it wasn't too bad- but any part of their body that wasn't wet was still difficult to get in the water, and they squeaked when the gentle waves reached their lower belly and stopped.  
Undyne shoved them gently on the shoulder. "Keep going!"

Frisk looked at her, took a deep breath, and dropped. They let themself fall completely into the water; it covered their head for a moment, before they bounced back to their feet, gasping.  
"Ohgod that's _cold_!" Undyne started to laugh again as they brushed errant strands of soaked hair off their face. "Okay. Okay, okay, I've done it- I can go further now." They kept up with Undyne as she strode further in; stopping when they had to stand on tiptoes and the water reached their chin.  
"Come on, Frisk- take my hand, I'll take you in further!" Frisk nodded; both of their hands took one of hers, and they kicked with their legs as she moved in until the water was up to her chin.  
"How's that?!"  
"Um. It's okay!" Frisk kicked and wiggled, moving their hands up to her shoulders and moving around her. "Ah- hehe, okay, this is nice."  
"When we get back, I'll teach you to swim," Undyne promised. "Then we'll come here again!"

There was a pool in the lower area of town; Undyne had insisted on it being built, but it had proved to  
be popular, especially as spring had taken hold. Frisk had never gone, though. They spluttered as a small wave splashed their face and nodded. It would be much more fun to actually be able to swim with their friends instead of having to hold onto them.  
They stayed out like that for some time. Onionsan came to say hello, promising to help watch for any monsters who had trouble, before swimming off- she was clearly thrilled to have company, and on the whole she was obviously so much happier out here than she had been Underground. Undyne stopped to wave wildly at Alphys, who had sat near the edge of the water to watch them swimming and playing together.  
"You good to head out, Frisk?" They nodded; Undyne was clearly ready to see her girlfriend, and they were starting to shiver.  
They made their way to the shore- Frisk letting go of Undyne as soon as they could touch the bottom. They were thankful for the warm sun on their wet shoulders and hair; they raised their arms so they could feel the heat caressing their skin.

This had been a great idea.

* * *

 _I tried to post this chapter this morning on my phone, and accidentally posted the next chapter. Whoops! Sorry if you saw that._

 _Too bad Undyne doesn't get to really swim with her friends- but I'm sure she won't waste the opportunity to swim by herself._

 _-Ren_


	29. The Beach

The monsters had spread out even more now. Toriel and Asgore were still together, but a little way along the beach now; sat on the water's edge with their feet being lapped at by the waves. They both waved when they saw Frisk looking over; they grinned and waved back.  
The dog monsters were all together now; Lesser Dog and Greater Dog were sprawled in the sun, and Doggo was talking with the married pair. The Dogamy had chosen to stay at home, wary of the bright sun and sand.  
Sans was lying on a blanket, idly watching Papyrus desperately trying to make some sort of sand sculpture. As used to snow as he was, he was getting rather frustrated with the sand shifting and flowing and refusing to be shaped.  
Alphys greeted them as they reached the shore. "Frisk- you gotta tell me, did you see-?"  
Frisk grinned. "Mum and Dad? Yeah, I did!"  
"Do- do you think...?"  
They shrugged. "I dunno- we'll see!"

That was all the conversation they had time for; Undyne bent and grabbed Alphy's hand, dragging her off for ice cream. Frisk grinned and went in the opposite direction, over to the skeleton brothers.  
Sans was the first to notice their approach. "Heyy, Frisk, pull up a bit of blanket. Enjoy your swim?" he asked, not raising himself from his position with his hands tucked behind his head.  
"It was less swimming and more splashing," Frisk said; but before they could continue, Papyrus bounced to his feet.  
"Frisk! You have to help me! It keeps falling apart!"  
They fought back their giggles. "I see." It was easy to see, in fact; a vague pile of sand that shifted even as Frisk watched. Papyrus held out his bucket imploringly.  
"This sand stuff makes no sense! It's not like snow at all!"  
"That's because it's not snow," Sans remarked.  
"You are not helping!" Papyrus stamped one foot, causing a cascade of sand to run down his mound.  
"It's okay, Papyrus," Frisk placated him. They took the bucket. "Wait here!"

They ran over to the water's edge and scooped up a bucket full of wet sand, before heading back. "Here!" They held it out.  
Papyrus scooped out a handful of wet hand. There was a pause while he looked at it; then he squeezed, water and clumps of sand running from between his bony fingers. When he opened his hands, it stayed a vague ball, the imprints of his fingers clear.  
"Nyeh heh heh! Yes! This is perfect!" He snatched the bucket of wet sand. "I need more water!"  
"Oh- um." Frisk bit their lip. "You only have one bucket, though! And- and it'll take ages to go back and forth to get enough water..."  
"That is true." Papyrus frowned, staring between his forlorn heap of sand and the sea. "What if... We dug a tunnel type... thing from the sea?"  
"What if you just dug _down_?" Sans commented, finally sitting up.  
"Sans! You're still not helping!" But Frisk was beaming, waving the bucket at Papyrus.  
"That just might work! It makes sense! I don't know how far you'd have to go... But you should be able to get to wet sand!" They thrust the bucket at Papyrus. "Here- you start, I'll go and get you another bucket!"  
Sans got to his feet. "Well, guess I'd better keep the kid out of trouble and make sure they don't spend all their money on you, bro."

Papyrus didn't reply- not directly. He was already furiously digging, the bucket of wet sand wedged into the top of what had been his attempt at building, "nyeh heh heh" escaping from him as he worked.  
"Oh..." Frisk turned to Sans as he started walking. "My bag's with my parents, I should go and get some money."  
"Nah, it's cool, I've got it."  
"Well, um. I should... get my t-shirt, at least." They crossed their arms over their chest, feeling awkward again. They'd all but forgotten about being shirtless; but the idea of going away from the beach and into a shop made them remember to be self-conscious.  
Sans shrugged. "If you're that bothered. Don't think it matters, though."  
Frisk looked at him; he glanced over, catching their eye. He knew exactly what was wrong- as ever. They rubbed their arms and looked away, only stopping and turning to him when they felt his hand touch their shoulder.  
"Frisk. Come on. Anyone looks at us, they're gonna be too distracted by the skeleton to pay too much attention to ya."  
"I... suppose that's true." They resumed walking, arms still crossed; there was a pause as they passed Alphys and Undyne quietly talking and watching Lesser Dog attempting to make his own sculpture at the water's edge. Sans finally pointed out the path winding up towards the top of the cliffs; as they went up the stairs and away from the beach, they pointed out hills and downs, and the paths that were visible, and speculated over the views. His attempts at distracting them had worked.

When they returned to Papyrus they were laden down with overpriced sandcastle-making equipment and eating a nice cream each. Papyrus had been... very enthusiastic about digging a hole; Greater Dog and Lesser Dog were helping. Sans held his lolly between his teeth and levitated his blanket, shaking off the sand that careless digging had scattered over it, while Frisk went to look down into the hole.  
"Wow- good work! This should make it a lot easier!" The hole was more of a pit, with sloping sides and plenty of access to water and wet sand. Frisk decided not to jump in.  
"Okay... We should, um, start a little at a time? And maybe make the base wet..." They stuck the rest of the nice cream in their mouth and started to clear away some of the piled sand next to the hole while Papyrus sorted through the items Frisk and Sans had put down next to him and pulled out the new, bigger bucket. He filled it and his older one with water and marvelled aloud at how the water just filled back up.  
"Okay!" Frisk pulled the wooden stick from their mouth, the nice cream gone. "Let's-" Frisk didn't get to finish before Papyrus sloshed the water over the patch they'd cleared- and over them as well. They yelped and brushed a strand of sodden hair out of their face, before picking the stick up.  
" _O-kay!_ I think that's enough water- wet sand! Wait wait wait-" Papyrus was throwing handfuls in front of Frisk as fast as he could- and more than a little of it was hitting them. "Maybe you should, uh- pack it down first! Like when you squeezed it- make it nice and solid and put on a little at a time?"  
"That is a good thing to try! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus sprang out of the hole and started battering the pile of wet sand with his fists, so overcome with enthusiasm he barely gave Frisk a chance to recoil before he did so.

Smiling to themself, they headed to the water's edge to rinse off the sand he'd flung over them in his excitement, gasping at how cold the water felt once again. As they returned, they saw Toriel and Asgore heading over.  
"Are you having a good time, Frisk?" Toriel asked. Frisk beamed and nodded. "That is good! We were thinking that we should go and eat- you should come as well, dear one. You have barely eaten at all today."  
Frisk's stomach loudly backed her words up and they glanced at the skeletons. Sans was sprawled back on his blanket, but at the words he sat up. "Sounds like a plan to me, bucko."  
"Papyrus- would you like to join us?" Asgore peered around to try and work out what Papyrus was trying to do.  
"That is very kind of you! But I have a duty- to build the best sand... _thing_ this beach has seen! Nyeh heh heh heh heh!"  
Asgore glanced at Frisk, mystified; but they only giggled and shrugged.

Toriel gave Frisk their sandals; they rinsed their feet off at the water's edge and put them on. They weren't really designed for walking on sand- or walking far at all- but they were cool and easy to put on and take off, and more likely to be acceptable than going barefoot in human society. They pulled on their t-shirt next, ignoring their damp skin.  
"Would you like me to put that on the bus?" Asgore pointed to the bag; Frisk nodded and Toriel handed it over, along with her own bag. They walked together towards the steps, Greater Dog deciding to join them and padded along at Frisk's side. On the way they passed Alphys- who was blushing deeply- and Undyne, drying in the sun from another deep in the sea. They came along as well, avoiding all questions on what they had been up to.

They went to the restaurant of the largest hotel to eat, a casual place designed to feel right at home overlooking the sea. Toriel had called ahead and they were expected; the entire place was open to the monsters, and they had no trouble getting a table outside in the shade. The staff even brought Greater Dog a bowl of water, which he lapped eagerly at, and cooed over him until Asgore rejoined them- Frisk didn't bother to tell them he wasn't _actually_ a dog, as he seemed only too happy to get the attention. Once they were left alone with the menu he sat with his head on Frisk's knee; they idly scratched behind his ears while everyone talked over the menu.  
Monsters didn't tend to eat much human food; when prepared without magic it didn't agree with them if they overdid it, so Undyne and Alphys decided to share a dish; as did Asgore and Toriel, sitting opposite each other. Frisk tried to hide their smile, but Alphys- sat opposite them- caught it and had to stifle her own giggle.  
Frisk's parents, however, wanted to see them eat more than usual as they had basically skipped breakfast; so they decided to share with Sans and get something just for themself as well. He ordered fries and "a boat load of ketchup"; Frisk went with a "Superfood Salad", with a side of potato skins. Alphys and Undyne chose the same salad; Toriel and Asgore figured that fish would be the closest thing to snails, and ordered a seafood salad. Frisk didn't correct them and just wrinkled their nose at the idea, ordering a steak- rare- for Greater Dog. Their waiter was clearly trying to act as though they were any other customers, aside from a couple of questions about their home; but was thrown by them ordering a meal for their dog, before he offered to switch out the vegetables and potatoes for more meat- an enthusiastic bark from Greater Dog answered the question, and Frisk suspected planted the idea that perhaps he wasn't _just_ a dog.

While waiting for the food to arrive, they chatted about their day; the ocean, the sand, the fantastic scenery. Undyne couldn't say enough about how much she loved the sea, except to complain that nobody except Frisk had joined her in it; Toriel bemoaned the fact that she had fewer photos than she would like, and decided to take a couple of everyone at the table before the food arrived, even getting their waiter to help when he brought their drinks; Frisk expressed an interest in the cliffs and downs.  
"Make sure you do not go alone, Frisk," Toriel said sternly. "Perhaps Sans should go with you- not that I do not want to come with you", she added hurriedly, "but I do need to stay and keep an eye on everyone."  
"I can manage, if you would like to go, Tori," Asgore said. He was sat next to Undyne and Alphys and Frisk could see from his face that he didn't love the idea of Toriel leaving the beach- and him- for the rest of the day. Luckily for him, though, she stood her ground.  
"No- I should stay so that I can help watch everyone." He beamed. "Plus, I trust Sans to keep Frisk safe. Perhaps, my dear, you would like to take my camera to get some nice photographs while you walk?"  
Frisk smiled at her over Sans' head. "I can give it a go! I don't think I'll take my bag, though. I'll leave my sandals in the bus and just go barefoot." Their feet were toughened by running barefoot through the forest and climbing trees.

When their food arrived, the monsters ate leisurely; but Frisk ate their main like they hadn't eaten for a week. The potato skins were hot enough to force them to slow down; and by the time they were helping themself to Sans' fries, the ache of hunger- which they had barely noticed before entering the restaurant- had gone. They were able to relax, to enjoy the companionship of their family and friends; to enjoy the sound of monsters celebrating and gulls crying overhead.

And dessert- they were definitely going to enjoy dessert.

* * *

 _I made a point of replacing the word "chips" with "fries". If you speak American English, I hope that saved you some confusion.  
_ _I don't have any memories of building sand castles as a child- I actually had to do research. I researched how to build sand castles in order to write Undertale fanfiction.  
_ _Sometimes I look at my life and feel like somewhere it took some odd turns without my noticing..._

 _Anyway, did you see my comment a couple of chapters ago on the locations that inspired this day's events? Just a reminder- do an image search for the Jurassic Coast, Lulworth Cove, and/or Durdle Door if you want to see what I had in mind. This isn't set there, just inspired by it- but it might give you an idea of the beautiful natural environments that sparked Frisk's interest!_

 _-Ren_


	30. Climbing the Cliffs

Papyrus had built a rather impressive- and very solid- mound of wet sand when they returned. Frisk grinned and ran across the hot sand for a closer look- although they flopped down on the blanket when they reached him, regretting their decision to run after eating so much.  
"Eurgh, I'm so full," Frisk groaned, before laughing. "But you've been busy! It looks good!"  
"Yes! It is great!" Papyrus beamed; wearing a short t-shirt and shorts, covered in clumps of wet sand and kneeling down by his slightly misshapen masterpiece, he made quite the sight.

Frisk heard Undyne shout a greeting to Papyrus as they knelt up and picked up the spade. "Say... You could use this to carefully carve bits off." They moved towards the castle, looking to him for permission; they barely got it before the others were upon them, Undyne loudly telling Papyrus about the dessert he missed. Frisk turned them out as they carefully carved a straight wall out along one edge, then carved out crenellations, each the width of the spade. Papyrus was turning his attention back to them when they were just about finished.  
"Wow! That looks good, human! Of course, it would turn out that my super-cool friend is the second best on the beach at sand building! Nyeh heh heh!"  
"'Second best', he says to the artist," snorted Undyne. Frisk handed the spade to Papyrus.

"Here- I, um, promised to take some pictures for my mum. I'm sure you can make it a fantastic sand castle without me!"  
"Yes, of course I can! I can't be beaten at sand castles!" He eagerly snatched up the spade and eyed up the sodden pile of sand.  
"Man, Papyrus, I think you need a hand with all that." Grinning, Undyne knelt down at the far side and rummaged through the various and unused implements that Frisk and Sans had bought earlier. Alphys joined her.  
Frisk took a step back and turned the camera on. The three of them were oblivious to them taking a couple of photos of them gathered around the sand "castle", with the beginnings of some definition on show. Content to review them later, they turned to Sans; who wordlessly turned, looking back at them to see if they were ready.

They were. They walked back along the beach at a much more comfortable pace; passing Asgore returning from the bus as they did so. He smiled and waved at them as they passed- as did many of the other monsters on the beach- but everyone was too busy to do more than call their greetings to the pair, and they reached the bottom of the cliff together. Frisk's eyes widened as they tilted their head back, following the path up with their eyes. They gulped and adjusted the camera strap so it wouldn't bounce too much, putting one arm through it so it was snug across their chest and shoulder.  
"You sure you're up for this, kid?"  
"That... _is_ steeper than I thought," Frisk admitted. "But we can do it!" They grinned at him before bounding up the rough, naturally formed "steps" of rock, their bare feet searching out purchase.

The first few feet weren't too bad; Frisk had to lean forwards, but there was plenty of purchase and the rocks were comfortable underfoot. Then it was a rough path worn through short, battered grass; dried mud and sand. This was both easier, because they didn't have to search for places to put their feet, and harder because of how steep it was. They were quickly panting, and found themself leaning forwards to use their hands to pull themself upwards.  
That was the point they stopped and looked up. From here, it looked even steeper going upwards; and it looked impossibly high, stretching into the sky. Frisk took a deep breath and turned around.  
Sans was behind them, looking unruffled; but beyond and below him the beach curled around, following the coastline. They had gone further upwards than they had realised and the monsters already looked small; Frisk could pick out Asgore and Toriel, walking along together, and they managed to find Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys, working on the sandcastle together.  
And beyond the beach, the ocean was vast; blue and shimmering in the bright sunlight, it stretched away into the horizon, where it and the sky became the same shade and it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

"What a view," Frisk breathed. Sans had turned to take it in as well, and for a few moments Frisk simply got their breath back, drinking it in. Then they remembered the camera and wiggled it as best they could, trying to get pictures when they couldn't see the screen properly.  
"Here." Sans leaned close, taking the camera, his head against their stomach as he lined up the shot and pressed the shutter release a couple of times. "There ya go." He grinned up at them. They frowned.  
"You're not out of breath," they remarked. "Are you... _cheating?_ "  
"Didn't realise there was a way to cheat." Frisk pouted at him.  
"Aw- that's not fair! I thought we were doing this together."  
"We are, kiddo- look, we're here, looking at this together."  
"I guess. I just... thought you'd be climbing with me, that we'd experience it sort of the same. Climbing up and the relief when we get up there, having beaten the climb..."  
There was a pause; it sounded stupid when said aloud. Frisk snorted and turned. "Forget I said anything. I'm glad you're with me."  
"Go on, Frisk," Sans said, tapping their back. They nodded and started to head up the path again, feeling awkward now that they knew Sans was just standing there, watching.  
But after only a few steps sounds reached them from below. Footsteps scrambling, and Sans' breathing. They grinned and make a point of slowing their pace; glancing back after another few feet to see how he was doing.  
There was no question that he wasn't as fit as they were. He wasn't keeping up, and was using both hands and feet, grabbing at tufts of grass for purchase. Frisk let him catch up before continuing.

They paused again when they judged they were about half way up. The path doubled back on itself, and the next section would start easier- although there was a part where it looked almost vertical, just before reaching the top. They waited for Sans again, looking down at the beach as he pulled himself up to their level, panting hard.  
"Why- _huff_ \- did I let you talk me into this?" He let out a loud, long breath. Frisk pointed.  
"Because of that?" He looked. The land fell away from them; the path below looked terrifyingly steep, and beyond that... The beach was so far away and they could see beyond the rise on the far side, see a hint of the coastline beyond far in the distance. A boat could be seen sneaking it's way along through the ocean, far too far for them to guess at it's size or function.  
Sans took a couple of deep breaths. "Yeah, maybe. Still-" he panted, " the view from the top better be somethin' else."  
Frisk laughed. "Come on, Sans- I'm sure you can do it! I believe in you." They winked at him and he snorted.  
"Laugh it up, kiddo- you won't find it funny when you have to carry me the rest of the way."  
They just grinned at him in answer. "You ready to continue?"  
"Nope." Sans turned to the path anyway, and Frisk did likewise.

The short break gave them a second wind, and they climbed up the slope to the hardest section. They gazed up, trying to work out the best way to do it, as Sans joined them, less short of breath this time.  
"You gotta be kiddin' me."  
"Nope!"  
Sans stared at Frisk. "Really. You expect me to climb that."  
"Yup!" They gave him a big grin, before moving. Their workouts with Undyne paid off- they'd figured out decent looking hand and foot holds, and they moved easily from one to the other, reaching the top swiftly, managing to get up the last section where handholds were scarce.  
They didn't look at the view, though. They turned straight around, more concerned about their friend. The steep section was only a few feet, but he was having trouble.

They shifted the camera out of the way and dropped to their stomach a little way back from the edge; supporting themself as best they could, they reached down with their other hand. "Sans! Grab hold!"  
He looked up and reached; his cool, bony hand slid into theirs and closed, holding tight and pulling himself up. They braced themself, pulling back; there was a heart-stopping moment where they felt themself start to slip, then he was climbing up next to them and flopping onto his back.  
" _Huff..._ Eurgh. That... was a bad idea." Sans groaned, closing his eyes. Frisk rolled away from the edge, sitting up.  
"Hey, you might want to wait to say that." They looked at him; he covered his face.  
"Nope. Not looking. _Huff_... Hoo. Gimme a minute."  
"Maybe _you_ should be training with Undyne," Frisk teased. Sans laughed, a breathless and tired sound.  
"Yeah, maybe... Nah, can't say it's my idea of a good time, kiddo. Okay. What've you got for me." He sat up, shifting around to sit next to them.

The sea was behind them, ahead was countryside; rolling hills, until one ahead arced over the view, a path going over it. One side fell away into the ocean; the other, with the road winding around it, gave way to more hills and woodland. The village below was a tiny scatter of buildings.  
Frisk shifted to look down at the beach. It was impossible to identify anyone from here; but Frisk could see a few tiny people in the sea. They looked over the other side; there was another beach, a tiny cove with a few people there, although whether human or monster they couldn't say. The cliffs stretched away, in and out of view away into the distance.

They pulled the camera strap over their head and turned it on as Sans stared into the distance. "Hey- Sans, do you like the view?"  
He turned to them with a genuine, broad grin on his face- and they hit the button just in time. "Perfect!" They grinned back at him. "Something to remind us of beating that climb."  
"Heh. I can do one better, buddy." He extended his hand; Frisk handed the camera to him.  
He sat next to them, elevating the camera with magic as he leaned close. They leaned into him and they both beamed at the camera as he focused and took the picture, the beach far below them as a dramatic backdrop.  
As soon as he lowered the camera, Frisk lunged and snatched it out of the air.  
"I wanna see!" He chuckled, leaning back and watching as they pulled up the pictures. "Oh... Oh wow. That's a great picture!" They looked around at the scenery. "I just wish I'd brought my sketchbook."  
"Camera not realistic enough for ya, Frisk?"  
"It's not just about taking pictures of what I see." Frisk turned the camera off and laid back. "I like being able to get it onto paper. It's like another way of experiencing it." There was a long pause as they lay in the sun. Frisk made a happy sound as they stretched, savouring the sun and the breeze on their skin, before finally sitting up.

"As much as my legs want me to stay here... We could head that way, look."  
"Man, I shoulda known you'd want to leave as soon as you got here." Sans groaned.  
"It's not that bad- look, it goes down a bit, and then it's a gentle slope there- and around- and-"  
"Alright, fine, kiddo. We can keep goin'. I guess the sooner we get back, the sooner I can get an ice cream and lie down, right?"

* * *

They wandered, taking pictures and talking, for longer than Frisk had realised when Sans checked the time on the camera and announced that they had to be getting back. They pouted.  
"Aww- really?"  
"Sorry, buddy. Past time, actually. Doesn't look like we've got the time to walk all the way back."  
Frisk sighed and turned around. They'd ventured up the top of that high hill they had seen- Sans groaning at the idea- taking it slowly and stopping at intervals. It was when they'd stopped near the top to take pictures that Sans had noticed the time.  
"I wanted to see what was on the other side..." Frisk sighed. Sans shrugged.  
"Next time, kid. Getcha pictures and we'll head out."

Frisk held up the camera and got a shot of him looking back down the hill; he turned back to them.  
"Really? You know you can get pictures of me back home."  
"I know." Frisk took another one and grinned at him. "But these will remind me of today." They turned to take some pictures of the view.  
"Good day, then?" Frisk's grin grew; their face was starting to ache from smiling too much.  
"Yes! One of the best I've ever had. How about you?"  
"Yeah. You should give me a copy of those pictures." He stepped past them and looked at the horizon, the sea still shining and sparkling in the late afternoon sun. His voice was quiet. "I don't want to forget today."

Frisk wrapped their arms around him from behind, resting their head against his and wrapping their arms around his shoulders and chest. "You won't," they murmured.  
They watched the ocean together for a moment, before Sans raised his hand to place it on Frisk's. "Yeah... Old habits die hard, is all. Thanks, Frisk."  
There was another long moment before Frisk cleared their throat, awkwardly stepping back.  
"Okay! I guess it's time to head back, huh?"  
"Hey, give me the camera first." Frisk did so, looking down the hill. He looked to be flicking through the pictures they took.  
"Hey- buddy, tell me again how today was."  
They suddenly felt shy and awkward; they smiled, head down, but raised their eyes, about to answer, when the shutter snapped. They blinked.  
"That's a good one." He grinned at them; they grinned back, their face warm. He took another picture.  
"Haha, okay, isn't that enough?"

"Nah- one more." Like he had before, he levitated the camera and leaned into Frisk. They glanced at him, thinking of the day they'd had and smiling- and he took another picture.  
"Sans!" They were laughing. "I wasn't ready!"  
"Okay- _now_ one more." They looked at the camera, still laughing, and he took the shot. "There ya go."  
As he handed the camera back, he gave them a long look.  
"What?"  
"Think you might have sunburn, kiddo."  
"Oh!" They covered their warm face. "No- I don't uh, tend to burn, and I put on lotion this morning, I'm just... warm. From all the walking."  
"Uh huh." Sans didn't believe them but he said nothing more on the subject. "Shall we head back?"

* * *

He took them directly to the edge of the beach. The tide was starting to come in; they ran across the sand to where Toriel and Asgore had joined Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys. The sandcastle was looking genuinely pretty good, if unplanned and chaotic and likely to collapse soon. Frisk took a couple more pictures.  
They had spread out a cooler of food on Sans' blanket; Frisk's stomach grumbled and they seated themself on the corner, giving everyone a grin as greeting and helping themself to a tub of pasta. Papyrus had been talking about his sandcastle and what he planned to do next time; but he suddenly stopped as Frisk was eating.  
"What?! Where is my brother?"  
"Mmnf?" Frisk glanced around- Sans was nowhere to be seen. They managed to swallow their mouthful. "He- he was right behind me. I'm... sure he won't be long."  
"Did you have a good walk, Frisk?" Asgore asked. Frisk nodded, filling their mouth again before handing the camera back to Toriel. She turned it on and started to look through the pictures, oohing over them, Asgore leaning over to look with her. She occasionally commented on the view or on how cute Frisk looked, seemingly oblivious to the fact that nobody but Asgore knew which picture she was looking at.

She was still looking at the pictures- and Frisk had just finished their pasta- when Sans rejoined them. He wordlessly handed something to Frisk. They looked down- aftersun.  
"Sans- I'm _fine_ ," they protested.  
"Hey, Tori." She looked up from the camera. "Doesn't Frisk look a bit red."  
"Now that you have mentioned it, you do, dear one," she said, leaning forwards. "Are you unwell?"  
"Sans thinks I have sunburn," they said, wrinkling their nose. "But I put lotion on this morning- and I'm mixed race- I'm not _supposed_ to burn!"  
Everyone stared at them, nonplussed. Frisk sighed. "Urgh, _fiiiine_. I'll put some aftersun on." They muttered as they unscrewed the cap; Toriel placed her large hand on their forehead. Her fur was cool and soft and they leaned into it.  
"You do feel very warm, Frisk," she said, concern clear. The camera lay forgotten.  
"I said I'd put the aftersun on!"  
"Perhaps we should find some shade," Asgore suggested. Toriel nodded, but Frisk wasn't happy about it.

The decision was made regardless, however; they returned to the restaurant, where lots of monsters had gone to have a meal before heading home. Frisk had applied the aftersun to their face and arms while Toriel and Asgore had packed up the cooler; they had no choice but to take it into the restaurant, as the bus driver was in there herself, having her own dinner.  
The bustle of the restaurant made it hard for them to get a table; but as soon as the monsters saw what was going on there was a hum of activity and they all shifted around, switching tables and pushing two together. The staff watched, bemused, as in no time there was a square table suitable for eight cleared by the door to the patio.

Once they were seated, Frisk suddenly felt tired. They were "sharing" a side with the cooler; Sans was to their left, seated next to his brother; Undyne and Alphys were across from them, and their parents to their right. They were all chatting about the menu- except Sans, who looked ready to fall asleep at the table, and Frisk, who wished they could do likewise.  
Since they had just had a picnic the rest of them ate light; but Sans perked up enough to share another portion of fries with Frisk and down a bottle of ketchup. They were suddenly more tired than hungry- they had another pasta dish; it was only a side but it was slow going, and in the end Papyrus finished it.

They didn't remember returning to the bus; just climbing into their seat, the sun setting outside. Exhaustion had taken over. They didn't remember Sans sitting next to them, or them leaning against each other as they slept- although they had the photograph to discover the next day. They didn't remember getting home. They remembered being in Asgore's arms; they remembered waking up enough to look around and see Sans asleep on Papyrus' back, before their father's presence lulled them back into slumber.

A reluctant shower and change into a pair of fresh pyjama shorts and then there was bed; warm, soft and comforting, sounds of the evening and a cool breeze coming through the open window. Their last thoughts, as sleep finally, truly claimed them, was that their first holiday had been better than they could have hoped. Then they drifted away, into happy dreams of sun and waves, and friends all being together.

* * *

 _Whew, what a day. I hope you enjoyed it as much as Frisk did- it was good to have a few chapters of pure fluff and happiness!  
It seems Sans has trouble saying no to Frisk- as we saw waaay back. At least he doesn't have muscles to ache tomorrow..._

 _There may be a brief break before the next chapter- and I do mean brief. (A few days.) I've spent some time actually writing out where I want to go with this, and the future of the story is somewhat planned out- but I want to make sure I've got some written and ready to go, and I want to go back to what I've already published and do some tweaks- correcting errors, basically. I figured this was a sweet, feel-good place to pause if I need the time._

 _What did you think to this day? Did you check out the places I mentioned in my prior comments? Let me know your thoughts!_

 _-Ren_


	31. Sunburn

**A/N- Important stuff underneath this chapter.**

* * *

Frisk awoke to a breeze fluttering their curtains and letting in sunlight. They blinked blearily, their mind sluggish but a deep happiness permeating the thoughts that managed to form. They glanced towards the window; what they could see of the sky through the curtains blowing about was bright blue with puffy white clouds.  
They let out a huge yawn and stretched; before freezing in place with a whimper. They _ached_. Their legs were expressing their dislike of the movement and they hadn't even got out of bed; and the skin of their face and shoulders hurt.

Moaning as they did so, they gingerly got to their tender feet. There was no doubt- they'd managed to overdo it at least a little. They groaned and moved their legs, trying to get the muscles to ease up, before staggering to the bathroom.  
Once they'd relieved themself, they looked in the mirror over the sink while they washed their hands. Sans had been right. Their face and shoulders were rather red; and even their chest and arms were pink. They winced and touched their face with their wet hands, before squeaking and pulling back. That wasn't a good idea.

They headed downstairs. The movement helped their legs loosen up, and the stiff ache was starting to ease a little as they reached the hallway. Toriel was in the dining room, sat in her reading chair, and she looked up as Frisk entered.  
"Good morning, dear one. I was about to come and wake you. How are you feeling?" She put her book on the chair and came over, laying her large hand on Frisk's face. They winced and pulled away a little.  
"I'm okay, but... I think I overdid it a little. My feet and legs hurt, and, uh... Yeah, I've definitely got sunburn."  
Toriel tutted. "You do feel rather warm. Well, it is fortunate that I asked Alphys for aid- I noticed you looked rather red last night. She helped me to find some information- wait here and I will return with something to help, and some of the pie from yesterday as well."

Frisk sat at the table and flipped open the sketchbook that lay there. They hadn't been able to do any drawing at all yesterday, too busy enjoying themself; a tiny part of them regretted that, but at least they had photos. They thought for a moment, then started to sketch.

By the time Toriel returned with a tray, Frisk had laid out a rough sketch to work from- Papyrus, knelt next to his sand castle. They smiled and pushed the sketchbook away to make room for the tray.  
On it was a slice of pie with a fork, a small pot of tea, a teacup, a glass of iced water, and a tube. Frisk picked it up; it was cold, fresh from the fridge. Aloe vera gel.  
"We read that it should be helpful with healing your sunburn," Toriel explained, taking it from their hand. "I can help you to apply it if you wish."  
"Thanks, mum." Frisk smiled at her. "I think I can manage, though- I don't want you to get it all in your fur." They picked up the fork and took a mouthful of pie.  
"I do not mind- and you will need my help to do your back."  
"Mmf bnf?" Frisk looked at her quizzically.

"Oh- I suppose you did not realise as you cannot see it? I am sorry to say that your back is worse than your chest, Frisk. I do not mind helping you- perhaps I should do it while you eat?"  
Frisk swallowed. "Oh... Okay. Yes, that's... That's fine."  
"Good." Toriel unscrewed the cap as they took another mouthful. "We also read that you should be sure to drink plenty of water. So please do so today."  
They squeaked and nearly sprayed the table with food as she squeezed some gel onto their shoulder. She paused.  
"Oh dear- are you alright?" Frisk nodded, frantically swallowing.  
"I- I'm fine, it's just _cold!_ " They swallowed a mouthful of water, deciding to wait until there would be no more surprises to continue eating.  
"Oh... Yes, sweet one, apparently it will be more soothing when it is cold. Do you need me to warm it a little for you instead?"  
"No- it's okay, it just... Took me by surprise."  
"Very well." Toriel squeezed some more gel onto their other shoulder. "Apparently I should apply it 'generously'. I will try not to use too much." She squeezed one last dollop onto the back of Frisk's neck; they let their head fall forwards, quickly scraping their hair into a messy high ponytail to avoid it getting in the gel or their breakfast.

Once they were used to it, it _was_ rather soothing, they had to admit; Toriel applied it in gentle circular movements, covering their upper back, shoulders, neck and arms. She was about to do their chest when they suddenly shifted away from her hands.  
"Uh- it's okay, I'll do my chest and face after I've eaten."  
She blinked, a little taken aback, then nodded. "As you wish, Frisk. I shall go and wash my hands, and then I will bring in the laptop- would you help me look at the pictures we took yesterday?"

After they had nodded, she left the room and went upstairs to the bathroom. They let out a deep breath, before turning to their breakfast, careful not to lean back.  
They felt a little too warm for the tea, but they ate the pie and drank the water, before applying the aloe vera gel to their face and chest without a mirror. There was a brief moment where it stung the sunburn; then it felt wonderful. They slathered on a little more than they probably needed to, gingerly adding a bit more to their shoulders, where it was already starting to soak in and dry; then they took their plate and glass into the kitchen, rinsing them and their hands.  
Toriel came in while they were drying their hands. "I now understand why you were concerned about getting it in my fur." She was holding a hand towel and the gel; she put it back in the fridge and rubbed at her fur with the towel. "I will help you apply some more whenever you feel you need it, though. And I would still like for you to drink more water."

She took the glass and refilled it, dropping in a couple of ice cubes; then she paused and fished out a couple of frozen raspberries, adding those as well. "Would you try this? If it is nice, perhaps it will encourage you to drink more water."  
Frisk took it and rejoined her in the dining room. She'd set up the laptop that Alphys had found for them on the table and turned it on; the camera sat next to it. Frisk took the memory card from the camera and slid it into the slot on the laptop, pulling up the folder and opening the first picture.  
It was a blurry mass of white and blue. Frisk blinked, glanced at their mother- who looked more confused than they were- and went through to the next one.  
This was one on the bus; of Alphys peering through the seats and Undyne over them to talk to Frisk, Sans and Papyrus. Toriel exclaimed at how well it had come out, and Frisk had to agree- it was certainly better than the next five or six pictures, all of the same subject matter, and all either rather blurry or grainy.  
"Well... At least the first one was clear, was it not?" Toriel glanced at Frisk, who nodded.  
"That was a good photo- although the bus was my least favourite part of the day!"  
The next photos were on the beach; the sea, the sands, the monsters. Frisk paused at one of them playing with Greater Dog, and looked over at Toriel. She smiled.  
"Look- you look so sweet, playing with your friend! Oh- what is next?"  
Next was another of Frisk and Greater Dog, this time on the edge of the sea. And the next-

Was of Asgore. It was a good photo- quite a few so far had been blurry, or had a furry white thumb in the shot. This one was clear; he was pointing away, towards the sea, smiling and looking at something. It was a very natural shot, and Frisk's favourite picture so far.  
Toriel seemed rather flustered. "Oh- you can just rush past these, I was just trying to understand how to use the camera better." Her voice was slightly higher than usual, and Frisk fought their face into a neutral expression before speaking.  
"Oh, well, you did a good job! It's a- a really good picture. You timed it well, and it's really clear."  
They didn't want to press their luck, however, and after a sneaky glance at her face they went on to the next one; it was another of Asgore. And then another. They heard Toriel shift position, and avoided commenting.

There were more of the beach after that, of monsters playing; of all of the dogs gathered together, and one from a distance of Frisk helping Papyrus understand how to work with sand.  
The next few were all at the restaurant. There was one the waiter had taken, of all of them- even Greater Dog trying to get in the shot at the bottom. Frisk giggled; everyone looked happy, even if their smiles were for the camera instead of natural.  
After that was the ones Frisk had taken. At first they moved through the first few of Papyrus' sand castle a little too quickly, remembering taking them; but it was the first time Toriel had seen them, and she complained that she wasn't able to see them properly at that speed. After that they went through them slower, giving her time to see Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys all working on the sand castle together. Their photos were generally better than Toriel's; something she commented on, and they, embarrassed and concerned about her feeling bad, didn't. They did join in her comments about the sand castle, though, without mentioning that the small amount of work visible so far was theirs.

There was a particularly bad photo of the beach from part way up the cliff, next; Frisk remembered trying to take it when they couldn't see properly, and it looked like they'd been shaking the camera when they took it. They moved quickly past it.  
The next was by Sans; it was clear and focused, showing the cove from above, the beach, with so many monsters in the shot. While Toriel exclaimed over it, Frisk zoomed in to full size so only a portion of the picture was on the screen.  
"Oh, I had no idea you could make it so big! Who can we see, Frisk?" Toriel pulled her chair nearer to Frisk's as they dragged the picture around.  
"Look, mum- there's Grey, and where's- yes, see, there's Les! And..." They continued searching; passing over monsters they barely knew by name, although pausing for a moment when they found the couple who had been royal guards. "Oh- there's you and Dad!"  
Toriel shifted slightly, looking even more uncomfortable than when they'd come across the pictures she'd taken of Asgore. Frisk moved on without saying anything more, zooming out a little to find their friends, then zooming back in on them.  
"And there's Papyrus, Alphys, and- huh. Where's Undyne?" They zoomed back out and searched. "Oh- she's back in the sea near them! I guess she was eager to swim..."

Finished spotting everyone they particularly eager to find, Frisk moved on to the next one; a similar picture, but with the camera aiming more towards the horizon, part of the beach out of the shot. "Oh... Look at that, mum. It... It doesn't look as incredible as it did in person, but it's still beautiful!"  
"Yes, it is lovely." Toriel smiled at her child, before examining the picture again. "I did not see the sky and sea from this angle- they almost look as though they are one far in the distance, do they not?"  
"I thought that!" Frisk grinned. "It really does look like they're fading into each other."

Then it was a picture of Sans, on the top of the cliffs. His grin was real, broad, his face half in the the shade, making his glowing eyes look bright as he looked at the camera.  
"I really was lucky to get that shot!"  
"He looks... very happy, sweet one," Toriel said. Frisk nodded.  
"He climbed all the way up there with me. He should be happy, after that! Although, uh, I think he kinda wished he'd stayed on the beach, lying down." They laughed and continued.  
The next was of them beaming into the camera together, the cliff falling away at the edge of the shot to show the beach, so far below. Toriel gasped.  
"Oh- that is very high up. Perhaps you should not have gone, that does not look very safe."  
"I didn't get hurt," Frisk pointed out. "And I was sat at the top, not being stupid or dangerous."  
"Well, perhaps. You do look very happy."  
"It was a great day." They smiled at their mother; she returned it, nudging them.  
"Are there more?"

There were. She had seen these later ones briefly, but only on the camera's screen; here she could truly see the scenery, the rolling hills, the sea and cliffs. Frisk talked as they went though them about the things they saw; pointing out a hill far in the distance where Sans had seen horses, and a valley where they'd spotted a couple of houses nestled into the trees. Finally they got to the last photos; another unsuspecting one of Sans, the lowering sun painting his skull shades of yellow; then, after another, the final shots of the tiny village and the cove, far off and below, with the horizon stretching across the picture.  
Toriel exclaimed over the next one. "Oh- Frisk, this is the sweetest picture of you I could have imagined!" It was the one of them, looking up at the camera, a real smile on their face that reached their eyes and made them shine. They remembered feeling awkward, put on the spot, but here... They simply looked happy.  
And in the next one, a big smile covering their face. And the next, them with Sans, looking at him and grinning; and the next, with Sans again, laughing, looking straight into the camera. Frisk didn't say anything; just let themself return the smile of their past self in the photograph. It seemed the sum up the whole day; shared laughter and joy, with a backdrop of a beautiful location and the sun filling everything with life.

The last few photos they had taken were a bit of an anti-climax after that; of Papyrus' sand castle. But then there was one last picture- of them and Sans, asleep on the bus. Their head was on his shoulder and his head on theirs; both of them with eyes closed, clearly fast asleep, leaning against each other.  
"Mum!" Frisk exclaimed. "I- I can't believe you took that!"  
"What is wrong with it?" Toriel looked from the picture to her child, who was covering their cheeks. "It is very cute!"  
"I- well, yeah, but- but- I didn't know you took that! I didn't even know I was asleep- like- like that!"  
"Does it truly bother you so much, my child?" She gently took one of their hands in her furred ones. "I can delete the picture, I do not mind."  
"No! No- it's fine, I just-" they glanced at the pictures, then at Toriel. "I guess I was just surprised. I'm not bothered, just... A bit embarrassed."  
"You do not need to be embarrassed, dear one." Toriel squeezed their hand. "Would you feel better if I promise to not show anyone?"  
"Um. Yes, please. Thanks, mum."

* * *

The rest of the day passed by swiftly. Frisk made a copy of the pictures for Sans; they deliberated over whether or not to include the last one, but finally decided to simply because they were so bad at hiding things from him.  
Toriel had forbidden them from going out in the sun until their burn faded; they didn't mind too much. With their sore shoulders, they didn't want to put a top on; and they were able to apply the aloe vera gel as often as they wanted. They got to draw and paint, trying to give form to their memories, until Toriel had to come up and remind them- in a tone that brooked no complaints- that it was time for bed.

* * *

 _Some quick information in regards to the future of this story._

 _Firstly, due to RL stuff, updates will be slower than previously. Sorry about that! I won't be leaving long gaps between chapters that are somewhat cliffhanger-y, and I hope to still upload a chapter every few days._

 _Another thing is that the people who comment seem to fall into two groups- those who like how I've tried to stick to the origins the game provided, and those who like my personal spin on the characters and relationships. As things progress, the story will be going much more in a personal direction, with relationships changing and evolving.  
I want feedback on this. I could start a new story which will basically be a "sequel", so people can avoid seeing things they may not enjoy. It does mean there will be less in there and obviously it'll be split up; but it also means I'll be less likely to get burned out and more likely to finish._

 _Which would you prefer? Would you like to see me split off into a new story set a couple of years later, or have it all in one? Why? Please do let me know- my inbox is always open, and the feedback I get will help me decide how to take this story forwards._

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _-Ren_


End file.
